Each year, the DNA Tulip Award is awarded for outstanding achievements in the field of Biomolecular Computing and Molecular Programming. Past recipients are:

• 2010 (DNA 16): Milan Stojanovic, Professor at the Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, was recognized for his important achievements in molecular computing using aptamers and ribozymes.
• 2009 (DNA 15): Bernard Yurke, Research Professor in the College of Engineering, Boise State University, Idaho, was recognized for his important contributions to DNA nanotechnology.
• 2008 (DNA 14): Masami Hagiya, Professor at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Tokyo, was recognized for his important contributions to biomolecular computation.
• 2007 (DNA 13): Natasha Jonoska, Professor of Mathematics at the University of South Florida, was recognized for her work in applications of automata and graph theory to DNA assembly.
• 2006 (DNA 12): Paul W. K. Rothemund (Caltech)
• 2005 (DNA 11): John H. Reif (Duke University)
• 2004 (DNA 10): Nadrian C. Seeman (New York University)
• 2003 (DNA 9): Anne Condon (University of British Columbia)
• 2002 (DNA 8): Tom Head (Binghamton University)
• 2001 (DNA 7): Laura Landweber (Princeton University)
• 2000 (DNA 6): Erik Winfree (Caltech)