On Thursday, 23 brilliant humans were officially elevated to the category of genius after being chosen as MacArthur Fellows by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation . The $625,000 fellowship, which dates back to 1981, is often referred to as the Genius Grant, placing a great honor on its recipients if, perhaps, an outdated one.

Who has history unanimously declared genius among us? From a cursory Google search: Albert Einstein, William Shakespeare and Leonardo da Vinci certainly seemed to have earned themselves the distinction. Wolfgang Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Isaac Newton, Nikola Tesla and Steve Jobs are also popular nominees for the prestigious accolade. A quick perusal of Twitter shows Bill Murray and Seth Meyers have also received some recent nods.

Notice anything strange about this roundup of genius minds, past and present? They represent a wide array of subjects, from the arts to the sciences. Theyve lived in various places and times from the 15th century to present day. And yet, there remains this nagging feeling that something is off.

Perhaps its because, in the words of artist activist collective the Guerrilla Girls , the word genius just rings so pale, so male, so stale!