"This award recognizes a fundamental discovery that challenged one of the most established paradigms in condensed matter physics," said Professor Jairo Sinova, Director of the Spin Phenomena Interdisciplinary Center (SPICE) at Mainz University. Today, altermagnetism has become one of the fastest-growing research areas in condensed matter physics, with research programs now spanning Europe, North America, and Asia. ***The EPS Europhysics Prize – a prestigious European distinctionThe EPS Europhysics Prize is among Europe's most prestigious awards in condensed matter physics. The prize will be presented during the 32nd General Conference of the European Physical Society Condensed Matter Division (CMD32) in Graz, Austria, in September 2026. Dr. Libor Šmejkal carried out the decisive theoretical work leading to the discovery of altermagnetism while working at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz from 2016 to 2024.