Delighted to share that the international BSN (Binary Systems of South and North) project, a global collaboration, has been awarded the 2026 Gemini Prize.

BSN is dedicated to the study of binary star systems, with a particular focus on contact binaries. The project brings together observations from numerous professional and amateur observatories across the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, creating a unique worldwide network for observation, monitoring, and analysis.
What began as a vision to unite professional and amateur astronomers (ProAm) across continents has grown into a remarkable scientific collaboration. To date, the team's observational and analytical efforts have led to numerous publications in leading international astronomy journals, as well as presentations at scientific conferences and the organization of educational workshops.
This award recognizes not only the scientific achievements of the project but also the power of international collaboration in advancing astronomical research.
We would also like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the scientific institutions whose continuous support and valued collaboration have been instrumental in advancing the objectives of this project: the Société Astronomique de France (SAF), the Paris Observatory LUX, and the Raderon AI Laboratory in Canada.

While BSN has benefited from the contributions of many individuals since its inception, this award is specifically presented in recognition of the members listed below, who have been actively and continuously involved in the project over the past five years and who also participated in the B3S workshop. We extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who has contributed to the project since its beginning:


Atila Poro, Patrick Wullaert, Fahri Aliçavus, Sabrina Baudart, Anis Ben Lassoued, Mark Blackford, Edwin Budding, Jean-Francois Coliac, Laurent Corp, Minoo Dokht Moosavi Rowzati, Javad Jafarzadeh, Filiz Kahraman Aliçavus, Kai Li, Jean-Baptiste Marquette, Raùl Michel Murillo, Ehsan Paki, Soroush Sarabi, Ameneh Shadlo and David Valls-Gabaud.
https://gemini.obspm.fr/prix-gemini-2026/