News

• November 23, 2024

  Joanne Chory, Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Laureate, Passes Away

  The Breakthrough Prize Foundation is saddened by the passing of Joanne Chory.

• June 04, 2024

  Mahlon Delong, Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Laureate, Passes Away

  The Breakthrough Prize Foundation is deeply saddened by the passing of Mahlon DeLong.

• April 15, 2024

  Stars of Science Honored by Stars of Hollywood

  Tenth Breakthrough Prize Ceremony Featured All-Star Cast of Presenters, Including Sergey Brin, Jessica Chastain, Glenn Close, Bradley Cooper, Robert Downey Jr., Kim Kardashian, Alicia Keys, Regina King, Brie Larson, Rob Lowe, Edward Norton, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Zoe Saldaña, Olivia Wilde, Venus Williams, Anne Wojcicki, and Michelle Yeoh with Host James Corden.
  Live Performances by Adam Levine Accompanied by David Foster, and Charlie Puth.

• March 28, 2024

  Breakthrough Prize Announces Additional Presenters for April 13 Ceremony Honoring Internationally Acclaimed Science and Mathematics Luminaries

  Tenth Ceremony to include Jessica Chastain, Lily Collins, Alicia Keys, Zoe Saldaña, Olivia Wilde, Venus Williams, and Michelle Yeoh.
  Presenters to Join Previously Announced Line-Up of Robert Downey Jr., Kim Kardashian, Regina King, Brie Larson, and Rob Lowe with Host James Corden.

• March 21, 2024

  Breakthrough Prize to Honor Internationally Acclaimed Science and Mathematics Luminaries at Star-Studded Los Angeles Event

  Tenth Ceremony Hosted by James Corden with Presenters Robert Downey Jr., Kim Kardashian, Regina King, Brie Larson, and Rob Lowe.
  Additional Presenters to be Announced.
  Ceremony to Take Place on Saturday, April 13.

• January 09, 2024

  Breakthrough Prize Opens Public Nominations for 2025 Prizes In Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences & Mathematics

  The public nomination period for the 2025 Breakthrough Prizes in Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences and Mathematics is now open.

• September 14, 2023

  Breakthrough Prize Announces 2024 Laureates In Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics, And Mathematics

  “Oscars of Science” Awards $3 Million Prizes for Advances against Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis, Parkinson’s Disease; Deep Insights into Quantum Field Theory and Differential Geometry.
  Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Awarded to Carl June and Michel Sadelain; Sabine Hadida, Paul Negulescu and Fredrick Van Goor; Thomas Gasser, Ellen Sidransky and Andrew Singleton.
  Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics Awarded to John Cardy and Alexander Zamolodchikov.
  Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics Awarded to Simon Brendle.
  Six New Horizons Prizes Awarded for Early-Career Achievements in Physics and Mathematics.
  Three Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prizes Awarded to Women Mathematicians for Early-Career Achievements.
  Laureates to be Honored at Gala Award Ceremony in Los Angeles on April 13, 2024.

• August 10, 2023

  National Academy of Sciences Receives $2.1 Million from Breakthrough Prize Foundation for Ongoing Support of Ukrainian-Led Scientific Research Projects

  The Breakthrough Prize Foundation is providing the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) with up to $2.1 million in funding to support Ukrainian science and scientists, the NAS announced today.

• May 06, 2023

  2020 Breakthrough Junior Challenge Winner Maryam Tsegaye Represents Canada Alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Coronation of King Charles III

  Twenty-year-old Maryam, who hails from Alberta, Canada, won the Challenge in 2020 for her clear and inventive video explaining the complex physics phenomenon of quantum tunneling.

• April 15, 2023

  The Ninth Breakthrough Prize Ceremony Brought Out the Stars in Los Angeles to Honor Award-Winning Scientists

  The ninth Breakthrough Prize ceremony took place on April 15, 2023. Leaving its traditional home in Silicon Valley the event was held in Los Angeles at the iconic Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

• April 12, 2023

  Hollywood Rallies to Honor Scientists and Scientific Achievement Grammy-Winning Artist John Legend to Perform at Ninth Breakthrough Prize Ceremony

  Kristen Bell, Leslie Odom Jr., and Chris Pine Join All-Star Lineup of Presenters, including Previously Announced Magnus Carlsen, Lily Collins, Danny DeVito, Robert Downey Jr., Gal Gadot, Mae Jemison, Brie Larson, Edward Norton, Lauren Ridloff, and Chloé Zhao.
  Ceremony Hosted by James Corden.

• March 30, 2023

  Breakthrough Prize to Honor Internationally Acclaimed Science and Mathematics Luminaries at Star-Studded Los Angeles Event

  Ninth Ceremony to Take Place at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Saturday, April 15.
  Ceremony Hosted by James Corden With Presenters Magnus Carlsen, Lily Collins, Danny DeVito, Robert Downey Jr., Gal Gadot, Mae Jemison, Brie Larson, Edward Norton, Lauren Ridloff, Chloé Zhao and others.

• March 01, 2023

  Breakthrough Prize Foundation Partners With Leading Israeli Universities to Support Ukrainian Scientists

  As part of a $3 million fund pledged to support scientists who have been forced to flee from Ukraine, the Breakthrough Prize Foundation announced a donation of $500,000 million to a consortium of universities led by Tel Aviv University and including the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Technion.

• January 19, 2023

  Breakthrough Prize Opens Public Nominations for 2024 Prizes in Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences & Mathematics

  The public nomination period for the 2024 Breakthrough Prizes in Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences and Mathematics is now open.

• January 09, 2023

  David Allis, Winner of the 2015 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, Passes Away

  The Breakthrough Prize Foundation was saddened by the passing of David Allis.

• November 22, 2022

  Supporting Ukrainian scientists through a partnership with the Breakthrough Prize Foundation

  Ukrainian scientists who have fled the war with Russia or who have been unable to work due to the destruction of their workplace are set to receive a helping hand from their Australian counterparts.

• October 24, 2022

  Scientific Organizations Form International Group to Advance Ukrainian Science and Support Researchers

  Breakthrough Prize Foundation Provides $3 Million.

• September 22, 2022

  Winners Of The 2023 Breakthrough Prizes In Life Sciences, Mathematics And Fundamental Physics Announced

  $15.75 Million in Prizes Awarded for Predicting Protein Structure with Deep Learning, Pioneering Field of Quantum Information, and Discoveries with Applications from Treating Neurodegenerative Disease to Optimizing Video Transmission.
  Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Awarded to Clifford P. Brangwynne and Anthony A. Hyman; Demis Hassabis and John Jumper; Emmanuel Mignot and Masashi Yanagisawa.
  Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics Awarded to Daniel A. Spielman.
  Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics Awarded to Charles H. Bennett, Gilles Brassard, David Deutsch and Peter Shor.
  Six New Horizons Prizes Awarded for Early-Career Achievements in Physics and Mathematics.
  Three Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prizes Awarded to Women Mathematicians for Early-Career Achievements.

• March 31, 2022

  Breakthrough Prize Foundation Partners With Allea To Support Scientists Forced To Leave Ukraine

  Foundation Dedicates $1.5 Million from a $3 Million Pledge for Impacted Scientists to ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, for Distribution Via European Academic Institutions.

• March 29, 2022

  Breakthrough Prize Foundation Partners With U.S. National Academy Of Sciences To Support Scientists Forced To Flee Ukraine

  Foundation Dedicates $1 Million from a $3 Million Fund Pledged for Impacted Scientists to NAS Initiative to Help Displaced Ukrainian Researchers Relocate and Continue Their Work.

• March 14, 2022

  Breakthrough Prize Foundation announces $3m donation in support of scientists forced to flee Ukraine

  Today we pledge a further $3 million in funding to support physicists, life scientists and mathematicians who have been forced to flee from Ukraine.

• March 04, 2022

  An Open Letter From Breakthrough Prize Laureates

  We, recipients of the Breakthrough Prize, stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine in support of their unqualified right to peace, security, and self-determination.

• March 03, 2022

  Statement Of Breakthrough Prize Foundation In Response To The Current War In Ukraine

  In the light of the devastating war and tragic humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine, the Breakthrough Prize Foundation today pledges to make an emergency donation of $3 million to help the victims of the conflict.

• January 12, 2022

  Breakthrough Prize Opens Public Nominations For Its 2023 Prizes In Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences & Mathematics

  The public nomination period for the 2023 Breakthrough Prizes in Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences and Mathematics is now open.

• September 09, 2021

  Winners Of The 2022 Breakthrough Prizes In Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics And Mathematics Announced

  $15.75 Million in Prizes Awarded for Discoveries Leading to Covid-19 Vaccines, Treatments For Neurological Diseases, Unprecedentedly Precise Quantum Clocks, and Other Major Discoveries.
  Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Awarded to Shankar Balasubramanian, David Klenerman and Pascal Mayer; Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman; and Jeffery W. Kelly.
  Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics Awarded to Takuro Mochizuki.
  Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics Awarded to Hidetoshi Katori and Jun Ye.
  Six New Horizons Prizes Awarded for Early-Career Achievements in Physics and Math.
  Three Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prizes Awarded to Women Mathematicians for Early-Career Achievements.
  Live, Televised Awards Ceremony Honoring Laureates Postponed Until 2022 Due to Pandemic.

• July 24, 2021

  Steven Weinberg, 2020 Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics Laureate, Passes Away

  The Breakthrough Prize Foundation is saddened by the passing of Steven Weinberg, who died on July 23 at the age of 88.

• December 14, 2020

  Breakthrough Prize Opens Public Nominations For Its 2022 Prizes In Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences & Mathematics

  Nominations can be submitted online today through April 1, 2021.

• October 30, 2020

  Angelika Amon, Winner Of The 2019 Breakthrough Prize In Life Sciences, Passes Away

  The Breakthrough Prize Foundation is deeply saddened by the passing of Angelika Amon who died on October 29 after battling cancer.

• September 23, 2020

  Inaugural Winners Of Breakthrough Filmmakers Challenge Announced

  Six Winners Will Produce Short Films for Annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony.

• September 10, 2020

  $3 Million Special Breakthrough Prize In Fundamental Physics Awarded To Steven Weinberg

  Physicist’s Achievements Include Major Contributions to Standard Model and Other Areas of Physics, Public Communication of Science and Decades of Leadership.
  Previous Special Prize Recipients Include Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Stephen Hawking, Seven CERN Scientists who Played a Leading Role in Discovery of Higgs Boson, the LIGO Collaboration that Detected Gravitational Waves, and the discoverers of Supergravity.

• September 10, 2020

  Winners Of The 2021 Breakthrough Prizes In Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics And Mathematics Announced

  A Total of $18.75 Million Awarded For Advances on the Deepest Questions.
  Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Awarded to David Baker, Catherine Dulac, Dennis Lo, Richard Youle.
  Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics Awarded to Martin Hairer.
  Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics Awarded to Eric Adelberger, Jens Gundlach, Blayne Heckel.
  Six New Horizons Prizes Awarded for Early-Career Achievements in Physics and Math.
  Three Inaugural Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prizes Awarded to Women Mathematicians for Early-Career Achievements – Number of Prizes Increased Due to Popular Interest.

• January 28, 2020

  Breakthrough Prize Foundation and TheWrap Launch New Competition To Inspire Next Generation of Innovative Science Filmmaking

  The unique contest seeks to create original opportunity for visual storytellers to explore and evoke science and the critical work of the world’s leading scientists.

• December 06, 2019

  Breakthrough Prize Opens Public Nominations For Its 2021 Prizes In Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences & Mathematics

  Inaugural “Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize” for early-career women in math dedicated to the legacy of the late Iranian mathematician.

• November 07, 2019

  Eighth Annual Breakthrough Prize – “The Oscars Of Science” – Celebrates Top Achievements In Life Sciences, Physics & Mathematics; Awards Over $21 Million In Prizes At Gala Televised Ceremony In Silicon Valley

  Evening’s Theme: “Seeing the Invisible” Salutes Discoveries at Cosmic, Cellular and Quantum Levels.
  2019 Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics Awarded to Sergio Ferrara, Daniel Z. Freedman and Peter van Nieuwenhuizen.
  2020 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics Awarded to 347 members of the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration.
  2020 Breakthrough Prizes in Life Sciences Awarded to David Julius, Virginia Man-Yee Lee, Jeffrey M. Friedman, F. Ulrich Hartl and Arthur L. Horwich.
  2020 Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics Awarded to Alex Eskin.
  New Horizons in Physics Prizes Awarded to Simon Caron-Huot, Xie Chen, Jo Dunkley, Lukasz Fidkowski, Michael Levin, Max A. Metlitski, Samaya Nissanke, Kendrick Smith and Pedro Vieira.
  New Horizons in Mathematics Prizes Awarded to Tim Austin, Emmy Murphy and Xinwen Zhu.
  Fifth Annual International Breakthrough Junior Challenge science video competition won by Jeffery Chen.
  Laureates honored at glittering awards gala hosted by James Corden, with Tyra Banks, Drew Barrymore, LeVar Burton, Taraji P. Henson, Allison Janney, Karlie Kloss, Adriana Lima and Edward Norton, with performances by Lenny Kravitz, will.i.am and Rachel Zhang.

• November 05, 2019

  Breakthrough Prize Foundation Announces Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize for Women Mathematicians

  New prize for early-career women in math salutes legacy of the late Iranian mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani.

• October 28, 2019

  Hollywood To Lend Its Star Power At 8th Annual Breakthrough Prize Awards

  “The Oscars Of Science” Sunday, Nov. 3. Participants Include: Tyra Banks, Drew Barrymore, LeVar Burton, James Corden, Taraji P. Henson, Allison Janney, Karlie Kloss, Adriana Lima, and Edward Norton. Performances By: Lenny Kravitz and will.i.am. Ceremony to Air Live on National Geographic at 7 PM PT / 10 PM ET.

• September 05, 2019

  Winners Of The 2020 Breakthrough Prize In Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics And Mathematics Announced

  A Total of $21.6 Million Awarded for Breakthroughs in Creating the First Image of a Black Hole, Determining the Biological Basis of Obesity, and Discoveries in the Biochemistry of Pain Sensation, Among Other Major Achievements.
  2020 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics Awarded to 347 Members [listed at the bottom of this page] of the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration.
  2020 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Awarded to Jeffrey M. Friedman, F. Ulrich Hartl and Arthur L. Horwich, David Julius, and Virginia Man-Yee Lee.
  2020 Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics Awarded to Alex Eskin.
  Six New Horizons Prizes Worth $100,000 Each Awarded for Early-Career Achievements in Physics and Math.
  Laureates to be Honored at Live, Televised Breakthrough Prize Ceremony, the “Oscars of Science,” on Sunday, November 3.

• August 06, 2019

  $3 Million Special Breakthrough Prize In Fundamental Physics Awarded To Discoverers Of Supergravity

  Physicists Sergio Ferrara, Daniel Z. Freedman and Peter van Nieuwenhuizen Recognized For Influential Theory Combining Gravity with Particle Physics. Previous Special Prize Recipients Include Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Stephen Hawking, Seven CERN Scientists who Played a Leading Role in Discovery of Higgs Boson, and LIGO Collaboration that Detected Gravitational Waves.

• February 26, 2019

  Koichiro Nishikawa, Breakthrough Prize In Fundamental Physics Laureate, Passes Away

  We are greatly saddened to hear of the passing of Koichiro Nishikawa on November 28, 2018 at the age of 69.

• January 06, 2019

  Jean Bourgain, 2017 Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics winner, Dies at 64

  On December 22, Jean Bourgain passed away after a three-year battle with cancer.

• December 10, 2018

  Shoucheng Zhang, Physics Frontiers Prize Laureate, Passes Away

  December 1 brought the sad news of the passing of Shoucheng Zhang at 55.

• December 03, 2018

  Breakthrough Prize Opens Public Nominations For Its 2020 Prizes In Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences & Mathematics

  The public nomination period for the 2020 Breakthrough Prizes in Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences and Mathematics is now open.

• October 30, 2018

  Silicon Valley’s Breakthrough Prize Announces Musical Performer And Presenters For Live Ceremony Celebrating Science On Sunday, November 4

  Academy Award Winner and Four-Time Grammy Award Winner Lionel Richie to Perform at Seventh Annual “Oscars of Science”.
  With Special Performance from Chinese Music Sensation G.E.M.
  Orlando Bloom, Ron Howard, Julianne Moore, Thandie Newton, Lupita Nyong'o, Zoe Saldana and G.E.M. to Serve as Presenters.
  Hosted by Pierce Brosnan, Ceremony to Air Live at 10p ET / 7p PT on National Geographic.

• October 18, 2018

  Winners of the 2019 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics and Mathematics Announced

  A Total of $22 Million Awarded for Breakthroughs in Treatment for the Leading Genetic Cause of Infant Death, Super-Resolution Imaging, Discovery of a New Kind of Electronic Material, and Other Major Achievements.
  2019 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Awarded to C. Frank Bennett and Adrian R. Krainer, Angelika Amon, Xiaowei Zhuang, and Zhijian “James” Chen.
  2019 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics Awarded to Charles Kane and Eugene Mele.
  2019 Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics Awarded to Vincent Lafforgue.
  Six “New Horizons” Prizes Worth $600,000 Awarded for Early-Career Achievement in Physics and Math.
  All Laureates – including Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Recipient of 2018 Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics – to be Honored at Live Televised Ceremony on Sunday, November 4.

• October 16, 2018

  Pierce Brosnan to Host 7th Annual “Breakthrough Prize” Ceremony on Sunday, November 4 Live on National Geographic

  The Annual, Star-Studded Ceremony that Celebrates Science and Scientific Achievement To Feature an “In Memoriam” Tribute to the Late Stephen Hawking.
  Ceremony to Air Live at 10 PM ET / 7 PM PT.

• September 06, 2018

  Special Breakthrough Prize In Fundamental Physics Awarded To Jocelyn Bell Burnell For Discovery Of Pulsars

  Breakthrough Prize Recognizes Bell Burnell’s 1967 Detection of Radio Signals from Rapidly Spinning, Super-Dense Neutron Stars and a Lifetime of Inspiring Scientific Leadership.
  50 Years After Her Significant Role in the Discovery, Bell Burnell, of University of Oxford and University of Dundee, Wins $3 Million Physics Prize.
  Previous Recipients of the Special Prize Include Stephen Hawking, Seven CERN Scientists Whose Leadership Led to the Discovery of the Higgs Boson, and to the Entire LIGO Collaboration that Detected Gravitational Waves.

• March 14, 2018

  Stephen Hawking (1942 – 2018), Breakthrough Prize Laureate, Co-Founder Breakthrough Starshot and Breakthrough Listen Science Programs

  All at the Breakthrough Prize Foundation were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Stephen Hawking, winner of the 2013 Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, as well as cherished partner of the Breakthrough Initiatives.

• February 04, 2018

  Joseph Polchinski, Breakthrough Prize In Fundamental Physics Laureate, Passes Away

  On February 2, Joseph Polchinski died at the age of 63.

• February 01, 2018

  Breakthrough Prize Opens Public Nominations For Its 2019 Prizes In Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences & Mathematics

  World’s Largest Science Prizes to be Awarded in Fall 2018 At Globally Televised Ceremony in Silicon Valley.
  Breakthrough Prize to Partner on Outreach with European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA) and ResearchGate.

• December 03, 2017

  Breakthrough Prize – “The Oscars Of Science” – Celebrates Top Achievements In Physics, Life Sciences & Mathematics, Awards $22 Million In Prizes At Gala Televised Ceremony In Silicon Valley

  2018 Breakthrough Prizes in Life Sciences Awarded to Joanne Chory, Don W. Cleveland, Kazutoshi Mori, Kim Nasmyth, and Peter Walter.
  2018 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics Awarded to Charles L. Bennett, Gary Hinshaw, Norman Jarosik, Lyman Page Jr., David N. Spergel, and the WMAP Science Team.
  2018 Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics Awarded to Christopher Hacon and James McKernan.
  New Horizons in Physics Prizes Awarded to Christopher Hirata, Douglas Stanford, and Andrea Young.
  New Horizons in Mathematics Prizes Awarded to Aaron Naber, Maryna Viazovska, Zhiwei Yun, and Wei Zhang.
  Third Annual International Breakthrough Junior Challenge Won by Hillary Diane Andales.
  Laureates to be honored at glittering awards gala hosted by Morgan Freeman, with live performance by Wiz Khalifa and musician Nana Ou-Yang, and presentations from Mayim Bialik, Lily Collins, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Katie Ledecky, Kerry Washington, John Urschel, Miss USA Kára McCullough and the founders of the Breakthrough Prize.

• December 01, 2017

  Ma Huateng Pony, Founder and Chairman of Tencent, Joins as a Founding Sponsor of Breakthrough Prize

  Tencent to Air One-Hour Video Highlights of the 2018 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony for Audiences Across Asia, December 10, 2018.

• November 21, 2017

  Stars Of Screen, Stage And Sport To Gather In Silicon Valley To Celebrate Science At 6th Annual “Breakthrough Prize” Ceremony Sunday, December 3

  Morgan Freeman, Academy Award®-Winning Actor and Revelations Entertainment President, will Host; Wiz Khalifa to Perform; Ron Howard, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, and Kerry Washington to Serve as Presenters.
  Ceremony to Air Live at 10/9c on National Geographic.
  For the First Time, Show to Be Broadcast Live via Facebook and YouTube on Breakthrough Prize and National Geographic Platforms.

• May 22, 2017

  ResearchGate and Breakthrough Prize Announce Partnership

  The Breakthrough Prize and ResearchGate, the professional network for scientists, announced a partnership today to expand opportunities to promote and honor excellence among the scientific community.

• April 27, 2017

  Breakthrough Prize and European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA) Announce Partnership

  Partnership Encourages European Nominations for World’s Largest Science Prize.

• March 09, 2017

  Ronald W. P. Drever, Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics Laureate, Passes Away

  On March 7, Breakthrough Prize laureate Ronald W. P. Drever sadly passed away.

• March 01, 2017

  Breakthrough Prize Opens Public Nomination Period For 2018 Prizes In Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences & Mathematics

  World’s Largest Science Prizes to be Awarded in December 2017 at Televised Ceremony in Silicon Valley.

• December 05, 2016

  Breakthrough Prize Marks 5th Anniversary Celebrating Top Achievements In Science And Awards More Than $25 Million In Prizes At Gala Ceremony In Silicon Valley

  2017 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Awarded to Stephen J. Elledge, Harry F. Noller, Roeland Nusse, Yoshinori Ohsumi, and Huda Yahya Zoghbi.
  2017 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics Awarded to Joseph Polchinski, Andrew Strominger, and Cumrun Vafa.
  2017 Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics Awarded to Jean Bourgain.
  New Horizons in Physics Prize awarded to Asimina Arvanitaki, Peter W. Graham, and Surjeet Rajendran; Simone Giombi and Xi Yin; and Frans Pretorius.
  New Horizons in Mathematics Prize awarded to Mohammed Abouzaid, Hugo Duminil-Copin, and Benjamin Elias and Geordie Williamson.
  Second Annual, International Breakthrough Junior Challenge Won by Female Students Antonella Masini, 18 (Peru) and Deanna See, 17 (Singapore).
  2016 Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, awarded in May to founders and team members of LIGO, awarded to Kip Thorne, Rainer Weiss and family of Ronald Drever.
  Laureates to be honored at glittering awards gala hosted by Morgan Freeman, with live performance by Alicia Keys and presentations from Daniel Ek (CEO of Spotify), Jeremy Irons, Mark and Scott Kelly, Hiroshi Mikitani (CEO of Rakuten), Sienna Miller, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vin Diesel, Kevin Durant, Dev Patel, Sundar Pichai (CEO of Google), Alex Rodriguez, Will.i.am, Susan Wojcicki (CEO of YouTube) and the founders of the Breakthrough Prize.

• November 10, 2016

  Stars To Gather In Silicon Valley To Celebrate Science At 5th Annual “Breakthrough Prize” Ceremony Sunday, December 4

  Ceremony to Air Live at 10/9c on National Geographic Channel. Morgan Freeman to Host and Alicia Keys to Perform; Jeremy Irons to Serve as Presenter in Mathematics Category. FOX to Air One-Hour Version of Ceremony on Sunday, December 18, 7-8 PM ET/PT; National Geographic Channels International to Also Air One-Hour Version.

• May 02, 2016

  Special Breakthrough Prize In Fundamental Physics Awarded For Detection Of Gravitational Waves 100 Years After Albert Einstein Predicted Their Existence

  Selection Committee of previous Breakthrough Prize winners recognizes contributors to experiment recording waves from two black holes colliding over a billion light years away.

• March 01, 2016

  Breakthrough Prize Opens Public Nomination Period For 2017 Prizes In Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences & Mathematics

  World’s Largest Science Prizes to Be Awarded in Late Fall of 2016 at Silicon Valley Awards Ceremony.

• November 09, 2015

  2016 Breakthrough Prize Symposia On Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics, And Mathematics To Be Held At UC Berkeley

  Symposia to Feature Winners of 2016 Breakthrough Prizes.

• November 09, 2015

  Breakthrough Prize Awarded $22 Million In Science Prizes

  The Prizes were Presented at Live Ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 10/9c on National Geographic Channel.

• November 03, 2015

  Ten-time Grammy Award Winner Pharrell Williams To Perform At The Breakthrough Prize Ceremony On November 8

  Presenters Russell Crowe, Hilary Swank, Lily Collins and Thomas Middleditch and Martin Starr of HBO’s Silicon Valley to Join Host Seth MacFarlane to Honor the World’s Leading Scientists and Mathematician. The Breakthrough Prize Ceremony will be broadcast live on the National Geographic Channel at 10/9c.

• October 30, 2015

  Breakthrough Prize And Khan Academy Announce 15 Finalists For Breakthrough Junior Challenge For Students

  $400,000 in educational prizes to be awarded for bringing scientific and mathematical ideas to life. Winner to be Announced at Breakthrough Prize Award Ceremony on Nov. 8.

• October 06, 2015

  Breakthrough Prize Foundation Teams With National Geographic Channel, Fox And Acclaimed Producer Don Mischer To Celebrate Today’s Leading Scientists And Mathematicians With Broadcast Of The 2016 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony

  Hosted by Seth MacFarlane; Ceremony to Air Live Sunday, Nov. 8, at 10/9c on National Geographic Channel in the US. FOX to Air One-Hour Version of Ceremony Sunday, Nov. 29, 7-8 PM ET/PT; National Geographic Channels International to Also Air One-Hour Version.

• September 14, 2015

  Breakthrough Prize And Khan Academy Announce Breakthrough Junior Challenge For High School Students

  $400,000 in educational prizes to be awarded for a video bringing scientific and mathematical ideas to life. Video submissions accepted through October 7, 2015.

• June 17, 2015

  First Winners of Tri-Institutional Breakout Awards Announced

  New Annual Life Sciences Award, Founded By Winners of the Breakthrough Prize, Honors Promising Postdoctoral Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell Medical College.

• March 23, 2015

  Breakthrough Prize Opens Public Nomination Period For 2016 Prizes In Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences & Mathematics

  Newly added for 2016, up to three annual New Horizons in Mathematics Prizes of $100,000 each for junior researchers.

• November 15, 2014

  2015 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony Premiers in USA on Discovery November 15 at 6:00 pm EST/PST

  The Breakthrough Prize Foundation invites American audiences to help celebrate our greatest scientists by taking part in an exceptional hour of television Saturday, November 15, on the Discovery and Science channels at 6:00 p.m. EST/PST.

• November 10, 2014

  Recipients Of The 2015 Breakthrough Prizes In Fundamental Physics And Life Sciences Announced

  $36 Million in prizes to world’s top scientists handed out by founders Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki, Jack Ma and Cathy Zhang, Yuri and Julia Milner, and Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan at a Silicon Valley gala hosted by Seth MacFarlane and attended by celebrity guests.

• October 30, 2014

  Seth MacFarlane To Host 2nd Annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony On November 9 Honoring World’s Foremost Scientists

  Discovery Channel And Science Channel To Simulcast Premiere Gala On November 15 In The U.S. BBC World News To Air Worldwide Weekend Of November 22.

• August 18, 2014

  Math Fellowship for Developing Countries Launched by Laureates, International Mathematical Union

  “The five of us felt we would have more impact if we acted in unison,” said Richard Taylor, who joined Simon Donaldson, Maxim Kontsevich, Jacob Lurie and Terence Tao as the first winners of the Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics.

• June 23, 2014

  Five Winners Receive Inaugural Breakthrough Prize In Mathematics

  Art Levinson Steps Down as Chair of Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation, Succeeded by Cori Bargmann. Online Nominations For 2015 Breakthrough Prizes in Fundamental Physics and Life Sciences are Open Through June 30, 2014.

• May 13, 2014

  Breakthrough Prize Winners and Institutions Commit $3 Million in Support of Next Generation of Scientists

  Like most new Breakthrough Prize laureates, Cornelia Bargmann, Lewis Cantley and Charles Sawyers have each been asked what they intend to do with the $3 million prize. As it turns out, they have answered collectively.

• May 13, 2014

  Breakthrough Prize Opens Nominations For 2015 Fundamental Physics And Life Sciences Prizes

  The Nominations are Open through June 30, 2014.

• April 29, 2014

  Jenni and Gianotti Launch ATLAS PhD Scholarship Program

  The scholarship will cover two years of PhD thesis funding for about eight talented and motivated young researchers, with an emphasis on choosing those from environments with limited financial resources. The students’ first year will be at CERN, the second back at their home universities.

• December 12, 2013

  2014 Breakthrough Prizes Awarded in Fundamental Physics and Life Sciences for a Total of $21 Million

  Mark Zuckerberg and Yuri Milner announced new $3 million Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics.

• November 05, 2013

  Fundamental Physics Prize Foundation announces nominees for $3 million prize

  The winner of the 2014 $3 million Fundamental Physics Prize and six winners of the 2014 $3 million Breakthrough Prizes in Life Sciences will be announced on December 12.

• September 03, 2013

  Online Nominations For 2014 Fundamental Physics Prize

  Three winners of the Physics Frontiers Prize will be announced this November and become nominees for the 2014 $3 million Fundamental Physics Prize.

• September 03, 2013

  Online Nominations For 2014 Breakthrough Prizes in Life Sciences Are Open

  The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation announces the opening of online nomination website for its 2014 prizes.

• August 22, 2013

  Special Fundamental Physics Prize Spurs CERN’s Virdee and Incandela to Fund Scholarships, Science Education Programs

  Tejinder Singh Virdee and Joseph Incandela were raised in very different circumstances on separate continents, but they both understand the transformative effect that a science education can have on a young person.

• March 21, 2013

  2013 Fundamental Physics Prize Awarded to Alexander Polyakov

  The Winner Receives a Prize of $3 million and Trophy Designed by World Renowned Danish-Icelandic Artist Olafur Eliasson.

• February 20, 2013

  Art Levinson, Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, and Yuri Milner Announce the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

  11 Inaugural winners receive $3 million each for Groundbreaking Achievements in Life Science Research.

• October 01, 2012

  Online Nominations for 2013 Fundamental Physics Prize And New Horizons in Physics Prize Are Open

  Three winners of the new Physics Frontiers Prize will be announced this December and become nominees for the 2013 US$ 3 million Fundamental Physics Prize.

• July 31, 2012

  New annual US$3 million Fundamental Physics Prize recognizes transformative advances in the field

  Inaugural nine recipients of the Prize receive $27 million in aggregate, all of whom agree to form a Selection Committee to award future prizes.