2019 – John Archibald: His work reveals the astonishing biology of microbial organisms and the role of endosymbiotic processes that allowed eukaryotic cells to shape life on this planet. Besides his very impressive research, the Miescher-Ishida-Prize recognizes the immense efforts Prof. Archibald took to disseminate his ideas and the science of endosymbiosis to a broader audience as a researcher, book author and speaker.

2016 – Uwe Maier: His work combines very successfully cell biology with cellular evolution. His admirable and highly successful work on different aspects of cellular functionality sparked new insights into the processes that formed the cells as we know them today.

2013 – Wolfgang Löffelhardt: His work on the nature and biology of muroplasts (cyanelles) – relicts of plastid evolution – that increased the understanding of the origin of chloroplasts and strongly influenced the research on Cyanophora paradoxa.

2013 – Rudolf Hagemann: Innovative work on plastid mutations that contributed significantly to elucidate mechanisms of extranuclear inheritance.

2009/2010 – Thomas Börner: Discovery and characterization of organellar phage-type RNA polymerases.

2007/2008 – Johannes Hackstein: Revealing the Biology of Hydrogenosomes.

2005/2006 – B. Franz Lang: Phylogenetic Analyses of Protists.

2003/2004 – Reinhold G. Herrmann: Molecular Analyses of Plastids and their integration in the plant cell.

2001/2002 – Geoffrey I. McFadden: Evolution of Plastids, Discovery of Nucleomorphs.

1999/2000 – Margaret J. McFall-Ngai and Edward G. Ruby: Their complementary work on a complex sqid/luminous bacteria association (Euprymna/Vibrio), offers this example of symbiosis not only as a model to characterize the mechanisms by which animals establish, develop and maintain more or less stable associations with bacteria, but also as a model of medical interest since exist benign and pathogenic Vibrio species, which can be compared.

1997/1998 – William Martin and Miclos Müller: Consequent use of molecular cladistic methods in protein evolution research showed a phylogenetic mosaic composition of whole metabolic pathways in eukaryotic cells (Martin), and strong molecular and biochemical exploration of cell organelle related metabolism let discover a new type of eukaryotic exogenosomal cell organelles, the hydrogenosomes (Müller). During the following common work they developed the new and fruitful „Hydrogen hypothesis for the first eukaryote“.

1995/1996 – Tsuneyoshi Kuroiwa: Innovative work on cytokinesis as well as of organelle division and discovery of „division rings“ in mitochondria and plastids of algae.

1994 – Robert K. Trench: First description of metabolite flux from kleptochloroplasts to host, leading work on Symbiodinium microadriaticum and C. paradoxa (IJECR 12 (1998): 221)

1993 – Leonard Muscatine: Introduction of green hydra as laboratory model system for studying endocytobioses, outstanding work on metabolism and economy of invertebrate symbioses (IJECR 12 (1998): 220)

1992 – Jean M. Whatley: Concept of cyclical development of plastids and electron microscopical support of Serial Endosymbiosis Theory (IJECR 12 (1998): 219)

1991 – Peter Sitte: Pioneering work on electron microscopy and evolution of cryptophyte nucleomorphs (IJECR 12 (1998): 218)

1990 – Hashime Ishikawa: Discovery of Symbionin and the role of stress proteins in symbiosis (IJECR 9 (1992): 78)

1989 – Masahiro Sugiura: First complete DNA sequences of the plastomes from several higher plants (IJECR 9 (1992): 78)

1988 – Constantin Vago: Early approach to endocytobiology, e.g. intracellular latency of pathogenes (IJECR 6 (1989): 233)

1987 – Kwang W. Jeon: Classic work on interactions between Amoeba proteus and intracellular bacteria (IJECR 5 (1988): 109)

1986 – Lynn Margulis: Resurrection and expansion of the Endosymbiotic Hypothesis (IJECR 3 (1986): 245)