13th May, 1908 - 1st October, 1994 Moisey Alexandrovich Markov was a prominent Russian scientist, outstanding theoretical physicist and promoter of science, who made pioneering contributions to research in neutrino physics, studies of fundamental problems in elementary particle physics, quantum gravity and at the boundary between particle physics and cosmology. M.A. Markov was the Academician Secretary of the Nuclear Physics Division of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1967-1988) and played a great role in the country's development of nuclear physics, particle physics, cosmic ray physics and neutrino astrophysics.

Academician M.A. Markov Prize was established by the Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences in commemoration of Academician M.A. Markov who was an outstanding scientist and one of the founders of the Institute.

The Prize is awarded annually to a scientist or a group of scientists for outstanding contributions to fundamental physics and development of research along the main directions of the scientific program of the Institute.

The candidates for the Prize are nominated either individually or as a group of not more than three persons. They may be affiliated with the Institute or with other Russian or international scientific centers.

The right to nominate the candidates belongs to members of the Russian Academy of Sciences and to Scientific Councils and Scientific - Technical Councils of the Divisions of the Institute.

The award decision is taken before the birthday of Academician M.A. Markov (13 May) by the Scientific Council of the Institute upon the recommendation of the special Expert Committee and is approved by the Director of the Institute.

The amount of the Prize is determined on annual basis with consideration of existing amounts of inscribed prizes of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The winner is presented a diploma.

Markov Readings are international seminars held in commemoration of Academician M.A. Markov, a renowned Russian scientist, outstanding theoretical physicist and promoter of science, who made pioneering contributions to research in neutrino physics, studies of fundamental problems in elementary particle physics and quantum gravity and research on the boarder line between particle physics and cosmology. M.A. Markov was the Academician Secretary of the Nuclear Physics Division of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1967-1988) and played a great role in the country's development of nuclear physics, particle physics, cosmic ray physics and neutrino astrophysics.

Markov Readings are organized annually by the Institute for Nuclear Research and P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Sant-Petersburg Institute for Nuclear Physics (in Gatchina) in cooperation with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna.

The first Markov Readings were held on the 95th birthday of Academician M.A. Markov (13-14 May 2003). A key part of the program is talks given by the winners of M.A. Markov Prize established by the Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences and awarded annually to a scientist or a group of scientists for outstanding contributions to fundamental physics and development of research along the main directions of the scientific program of the Institute.

Markov Readings gather senior scientists, younger researchers and students of departments of the Moscow State University, Moscow Physical Technical Institute and other universities, affiliated with Scientific-and-Educational Center of INR RAS, as well as Lebedev Institute, JINR and other research centers.

Contributions to the Seminar are annually published at the INR Internet site.