Dr Abbott has an Otago PhD in anatomy and is based in the orthopaedic section of the Otago surgical sciences department.
The other three researchers are based in the Otago anatomy department, and Dr Clarkson also works in psychology.
Each award winner also receives a $5000 research grant.
Otago deputy vice-chancellor, research and enterprise, Prof Richard Blaikie, said their "remarkable" research held much promise for "improving people's wellbeing" or "gaining important insights into humanity's past".
Dr Abbott was "greatly honoured" to receive the award.
He is principal investigator of the management of osteoarthritis research programme at the Dunedin School of Medicine's centre for musculoskeletal outcomes research.
In 2010 he was awarded a prestigious Sir Charles Hercus Health Research Fellowship by the Health Research Council.
Dr Clarkson, who is a senior research fellow in anatomy and psychology, said it was a "huge honour" to be recognised for his research, involving mechanisms related to neuro-protection and neuro-restoration after a stroke.
Dr Clarkson is part of several international projects aiming to find novel pharmacological therapies to treat people who have had a stroke, and he has been awarded a Sir Charles Hercus Fellowship.
Dr Halcrow, who is an Otago graduate and a lecturer in anatomy, is "really, really stoked" to be honoured by her peers.
She studies infant and child biology from archaeological sites and is working on several multidisciplinary archaeological projects in Southeast Asia, including in Thailand and Cambodia, and is starting fieldwork in Indonesia this year.
She has also received received a $300,000 Marsden Fast-Start grant.
Dr Knapp, who is a research fellow in anatomy, is "very excited" to have received such "major recognition".
Using state-of-the-art ancient DNA techniques he is reconstructing the past population dynamics of humans and the animals they encountered on their ancient journey across the globe.
He is a principal investigator of an Australia and Pacific Science Foundation grant and is an associate investigator on two Marsden grants.
