According to the jury report of the Royal Astronomical Society (pdf), the impact of the simulations is not only visible in the many scientific references to the project, but also in its contribution outside academia. EAGLE, which stands for Evolution and Assembly of GaLaxies and their Environments, was, among other things, the centrepiece of the popular 2016 Galaxy Makers exhibition in the UK. Results from the project were also featured in the IMAX film Voyage of Time.
"The success of the EAGLE project is not only due to the developers of the simulations," says Joop Schaye, principal investigator of the project and professor of Galaxy Formation at Leiden Observatory. He thanks the many researchers who used the simulations, those who created new ones and the scientists who developed the foundations on which EAGLE is built.
The Group Achievement Award of the Royal Astronomical Society is an annual recognition of outstanding achievements by large consortia of academics or consortia of professional amateurs in any branch of astronomy.
Source: Leiden University and RAS