2006 mathematics prize announced {Abel prize}

Swedish mathematician Lennart Carleson has been named as the winner of the 2006 Abel Prize for outstanding work in the field of mathematics.

The prize is worth about £520,000, and credits a discipline overlooked by the Nobel Prizes.
***
In 1807, the French mathematician Jean Baptiste Fourier began the branch of mathematics known as harmonic analysis when he discovered that natural phenomena of a periodic nature, such as electric currents or sound waves, could be described as the sum of simple mathematical building blocks - oscillating sine or cosine waves.
***
But for 150 years the approach remained unproven {for the general case}, until in 1966 Professor Carleson published a paper which showed that Fourier's idea held true for all such examples.
***
more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4836752.stm

1. Prove groundbreaking theorem.
2. Accept award forty years later.

in their 20s. So they've got a decent shot at accepting the award while they're still alive
:-)