Stars of Science Honored by Stars of Hollywood

LOS ANGELES – April 15, 2024 – Hollywood rolled out the red carpet for the 10^th Breakthrough Prize ceremony on Saturday, April 13, bringing together high-profile leaders in the entertainment, business, tech, and science communities for a festive celebration of scientific achievement during a gala awards show unlike any other.

The star-studded affair was hosted by James Corden and featured participation from six Academy Award winners. The full slate of presenters included 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, and Michelle Yeoh. Multiple GRAMMY winner Adam Levine accompanied by David Foster, and singer-songwriter-producer Charlie Puth performed during the ceremony.

Notable guests included Vin Diesel, Magnus Carlsen, Edgar Ramirez, Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry, Joel Madden, David Blaine, Jeff and Justine Koons, Wendi Murdoch, Maria Sharapova, Eileen Gu and Ms. Yan Gu, Lizzo, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Marc Andreessen, and Eric Schmidt.

Awarded annually, the Breakthrough Prize shines a spotlight on scientists and their groundbreaking work, to celebrate their achievements and inspire the next generation. This year’s ceremony recognized the 2024 Breakthrough Prize laureates, as well as a select group from 2020-2023. They were joined by two winners of the Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize and by the winner of the Breakthrough Junior Challenge, a global science video competition for students 13-18.

The Breakthrough Prize celebrates the research achievements of the world’s top scientists, awarding more than $15 million in prizes annually. Each Breakthrough Prize is $3 million and presented in the fields of Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics, and Mathematics. Additionally, each year New Horizons Prizes in Physics and Mathematics ($100,000) are awarded to outstanding early-career researchers, as well as the Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize ($50,000) that recognizes women mathematicians who have recently completed PhDs and produced important results.

Videos and photos from the ceremony can be found here.

The show will premiere on YouTube on Sunday, April 21 at 11:00 AM PT and can be viewed in full here.

About Don Mischer Productions

The ceremony will be produced by Charlie Haykel and Juliane Hare and directed by Don Mischer. Don Mischer Productions is an internationally acclaimed production company for television and live events, which has consistently produced programs that share the best of the human experience, whether it be the work of our most acclaimed artists or the celebration of our greatest international events. DMP is always at the forefront of their craft, with an eye to innovate and advance the art form. Some of their marquee productions include the Oscars®; Super Bowl halftime shows (Prince, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen, among others); We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial; The Emmy Awards; The Billboard Music Awards; and the Opening Ceremonies of both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games. Other productions include Seth Rogen's Hilarity For Charity; Rock The Troops with Dwayne Johnson; and the Taking The Stage: the Opening Celebration for the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture.

About the Breakthrough Prize

The Breakthrough Prize recognizes the research achievements of the world’s top scientists, awarding approximately $15 million annually in prizes. Each prize is $3 million and presented in the fields of Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics and Mathematics. In addition, up to three New Horizons in Physics Prizes ($100,000), up to three New Horizons in Mathematics Prizes ($100,000), and up to three Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prizes ($50,000) are given out to early-career researchers each year. Laureates attend a gala award ceremony designed to celebrate their achievements and inspire the next generation of scientists. The Breakthrough Prizes were founded by Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Julia and Yuri Milner, and Anne Wojcicki and have been sponsored by foundations established by them. Selection Committees composed of previous Breakthrough Prize laureates in each field choose the winners. Information on the Breakthrough Prize is available at breakthroughprize.org.

About the Breakthrough Junior Challenge

Founded by Julia and Yuri Milner, the Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a global science video competition, aiming to develop and demonstrate young people’s knowledge of science and scientific principles and communications skills; generate excitement in these fields; support STEM career choices; and engage the imagination and interest of the public-at-large in key concepts of fundamental science. Each winner receives $250,000 in educational prizes, a $50,000 prize for their science teacher, and a new science lab valued at $100,000 for their school. Information on the Breakthrough Junior Challenge is available at breakthroughjuniorchallenge.org.

About the Breakthrough Prize Foundation

The Breakthrough Prize Foundation is a charitable foundation founded by science philanthropist and technology investor, Yuri Milner and his wife Julia, dedicated to advancing fundamental knowledge, celebrating scientific achievement, and utilizing scientific and technological innovations to improve people’s lives and inspire future generations. The Foundation’s programs include the Breakthrough Prize, which recognizes the world’s top scientists in the fields of Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics and Mathematics; the Breakthrough Junior Challenge, an annual global video competition for students to inspire creative scientific thinking; and the Breakthrough Initiatives, a suite of science programs investigating the fundamental questions of life in the Universe. Most recently, other philanthropic activities of Julia and Yuri Milner have included humanitarian efforts both in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukrainian refugee crisis.

Information on the Breakthrough Initiatives are available at breakthroughinitiatives.org.
Information on Yuri Milner is available at www.yurimilner.com.

Contact

For the Breakthrough Prize:

Alice McGillion / 212-843-8039 / AMcGillion@Rubenstein.com
Kristen Bothwell / 212-843-9227 / Kbothwell@Rubenstein.com