Live from Hollywood, the Eleventh Breakthrough Prize Awards – ‘The Oscars® of Science’ – Salutes Distinguished Scientists from Across the Globe at Star-Studded Gala

LOS ANGELES – April 7, 2025 – On Saturday night, in the heart of Hollywood, the eleventh Breakthrough Prize awards celebrated outstanding scientific achievements, honoring scientists driving remarkable discoveries in gene editing, human diseases, the search for the fundamental laws of the Universe and pure mathematics.

Recognized internationally as “the Oscars® of Science,” the gala event brought together high-profile leaders in the science, tech and business communities alongside actors, filmmakers, writers, singers, athletes and musicians, along with current and prior Breakthrough Prize laureates, for a glittering celebration of science and scientific achievement.

The show will premiere on YouTube on April 12, 2025 at 3pm ET / 12pm PT.

The ceremony was held in Santa Monica at the celebrated Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. Four-time host, actor and Emmy Award winner James Corden, opened with a monologue toasting the event as “the one night Hollywood and Science come together,” calling out celebrities in the audience, including Jeremy Strong and Margot Robbie, and performing a rousing Gilbert-and-Sullivan-style tribute to this year’s laureates.

Grammy-winning superstar Katy Perry performed the “What a Wonderful World,” elegantly segueing the classic song into a slowed-down version of her powerful hit “Firework.” Multi-platinum recording artist Sia closed the show with an inspiring rendition of “Unstoppable” as all 17 winners returned to the stage to a standing ovation – selections that reflected the evening's themes of human potential and planetary unity. Reggae-pop legend Liz Mitchell, lead singer of Boney M., performed at the afterparty, where scientists, entrepreneurs and celebrities continued conversations across traditional boundaries. During the show, Breakthrough Prize co-founder Sergey Brin joined magicians David Blaine and Anna Deguzman to perform an audience-wide magic trick.

After receiving a red-carpet welcome, scientists were welcomed onstage by celebrity presenters. Six Breakthrough Prizes of $3 million each were awarded in Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics, and Mathematics. Three women mathematicians recently completing PhDs are each receiving a $50,000 Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize. This year’s prize money totals $18.75 million, bringing the amount conferred over the 14 years of the Breakthrough Prize to more than $326 million.

Along with the award presentations, there were two memorable special celebrations. Gayle King and Salma Hayek Pinault told the story of Susan Solomon, present in the audience, whose research on the ozone layer contributed to the Montreal Protocol, announcing her as “the scientist who convinced the world to act.” The room rose in acknowledgment of her critical contribution to global well-being.

Meanwhile, Gal Gadot presented a memorable homage to the late Dr. George Berci, a Hungarian Holocaust survivor whose surgical innovations were critical to modern minimally invasive surgeries such as laparoscopies, improving health outcomes for millions of people, and passed away in 2024 at the age of 103.

Lauren Sánchez and Will.i.am presented the first Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for the characterization of GLP-1 and developing it into powerful drugs for diabetes and obesity. The Prize went to Daniel J. Drucker, Jens Juul Holst, Lotte Bjerre Knudsen and Svetlana Mojsov. Joel Habener, who also receives the Prize, was not able to travel to the event, but expressed his delight that their work was “helping to alleviate diabetes and obesity-associated conditions in people throughout the world. “The effects truly are miraculous,” said Lauren Sánchez of the drugs. “For millions of people around the world with type 2 diabetes, these medicines have transformed life…and for millions of people suffering from obesity, they are enabling unheard-of weight loss.” Laureate Daniel Drucker said, “Dream big, work hard, and cherish every moment of the journey,” while Lotte Bjerre Knudsen proclaimed, “Let’s continue to push the boundaries of science for a healthier future.”

Mark Zuckerberg and Vin Diesel presented the second Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences to Alberto Ascherio and Stephen L. Hauser for discovering key causes of multiple sclerosis. “For millions worldwide, two-thirds of them women, this disease can mean memory loss, mobility and vision problems, and severe pain,” said Breakthrough Prize co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, noting that Ascherio and Hauser “have revolutionized the scientific understanding of how, and why, multiple sclerosis occurs.”

Two-time Academy Award winner Jodie Foster and Emily in Paris star Lily Collins presented the third Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences to David R. Liu. Liu “was not prepared to accept that genes are destiny,” Jodie Foster said, instead inventing “two brilliant technologies that find and correct errors in the letters of DNA.” A young patient, Alyssa Tapley, spoke movingly how Liu’s gene-editing work saved her from terminal leukemia at the age of 13. Liu, noticeably affected by her testimony, declared that “breakthroughs with impact begin with compassion.”

Internet sensation MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) joined Breakthrough Prize co-founder Julia Milner to announce Jasmine Eyal as the winner of the Breakthrough Junior Challenge, a global science video competition. Donaldson joked that humanity depends on at least some kids watching science, not just “some guy spending one hundred hours in the Pyramids of Giza.” Jasmine said, “We should celebrate the brilliant scientists here today, not only for their incredible achievements but for the young minds they’ll inspire.” The inspiration for her video – her grandmother Anne Li, also known as “Popo” – had travelled to Singapore to surprise her with the news that she won, and was also able to join Jasmine at the event to witness her granddaughter’s recognition.

Christina Aguilera and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman presented Dennis Gaitsgory with the Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics. Brockman lauded the mathematician who had “devoted three decades to building an extraordinary bridge between ideas.” Gaitsgory stressed the social side of science, telling young people starting down the road of math, “You don't have to walk this path alone.”

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos joined Breakthrough Prize co-founder Yuri Milner to present the Breakthrough Prize Fundamental Physics to thousands of researchers from more than 70 countries who contributed to four experimental collaborations at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. Bezos described their pursuit for new knowledge as a “a quest, driven by pure curiosity” that “has also improved all of our lives” while Milner called it “humanity’s fundamental Mission.” Vincenzo Vagnoni, accepting on behalf of the LHCb experiment, called science “a glue that holds people together.”

Gwyneth Paltrow and Breakthrough Prize co-founder and co-founder of Google Sergey Brin presented to 2023 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences winners Emmanuel Mignot and Masashi Yanagisawa for their discovery of the causes behind narcolepsy and development for treatments of sleep disorders. Dr. Mignot brought a special guest – Watson, his chihuahua who, as a narcoleptic dog, has served as an ambassador of the sleep disorder. Watson delighted guests and inspired a series of jokes from James Corden.

Edward Norton and Seth Rogen presented a Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics to Gerardus 't Hooft, honoring him for a half-century of contributions to quantum field theory and the Standard Model of particle physics. Telling the story of his journey in science, Rogen summed up, “The boy who dreamed of discovering ‘something new in nature’ has advanced our knowledge of the Universe as much as any physicist in the last half century.”

Drew Barrymore and Ke Huy Quan presented the Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers in Mathematics Prize for early-career women mathematicians to Si Ying Lee, Rajula Srivastava, and Ewin Tang.

Anne Wojcicki and Jeremy Strong presented 2021 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences winner David Baker for developing technology that allowed the design of proteins never seen before in nature, including novel proteins that have the potential for therapeutic intervention in human diseases.

Other artists and entertainers contributing to the glitter and glamour of the evening included: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lizzo, Rob Lowe, Olivia Wilde, Drew Taggart and Alex Pall of the Chainsmokers, Gillian Anderson, Danny DeVito, Patty Jenkins, Maria Sharapova, Edgar Ramírez, Zoe Saldaña, Glenn Close, Kate Hudson, Jessica Chastain, Margot Robbie, Paris Hilton, and Alicia Keys.

Among other leaders in business and the tech community in attendance were Breakthrough Prize Co-Founder Rupert Murdoch, Bill Gates, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Dario Amodei, Marc Andreesen, Brian Armstrong, Sam Altman, Michael Milken, Tekedra Mawakana, Laurene Powell, Fidji Simo, Dr. Albert Bourla, Michael Dell, Vlad Tenev, Tony Xu, Shou Zi Chew, Greg Brockman, and more.

Established in 2012, 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, the largest annual monetary prize in science. Additionally, each year New Horizons Prizes in Physics and Mathematics ($100,000) are awarded to 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. Since its inception, the Breakthrough Prize has awarded more than $326 million in prize money to over 100 individual scientists and large research teams consisting of thousands of scientists.

Images and select video from the 2025 Breakthrough Prize Gala – red carpet and ceremony – can be downloaded for media use here.

For the eleventh time, the ceremony was produced by Don Mischer Productions, led by executive producers Charlie Haykel and Juliane Hare. The show was directed by Tore Livia.

About Don Mischer Productions

Don Mischer Productions (DMP) 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 Academy Awards; 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 Breakthrough Prize

Known popularly as the “Oscars® of Science,” 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 Breakthrough Junior Challenge

The Breakthrough Junior Challenge, founded by Julia and Yuri Milner, 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.

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 Initiative is available at breakthroughinitiatives.org.
Information on the Breakthrough Junior Challenge at breakthroughjuniorchallenge.org.
Information on Yuri Milner at www.yurimilner.com.

Contact

For media inquiries, please contact media@breakthroughprize.org or
Rubenstein Communications, Inc., New York, NY

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