Prizes and Awards

Call for nominations

• The Wolf Prizes in the sciences and the arts are awarded annually since 1978 to outstanding scientists and artists for their achievements for the benefit of humanity and brotherly relations among people, regardless of nationality, race, religion, gender, or political views. To date, 382 scientists and artists from all over the world have been awarded the prestigious Wolf Prize.
• Prize fields in sciences include Agriculture, Chemistry, Mathematics, Medicine, and Physics. Prize fields in the Arts include Architecture, Music, Painting and Sculpture. Every year, the Wolf Foundation awards four prizes in the Sciences and one prize in the Arts. Each prize consists of a diploma and 100,000$. In the event of co-recipients sharing one prize, the honorarium is equally divided among them.

Nominations

• In accordance with the Wolf Prize principle of rotation, candidate(s) for the 2025 prize can be nominated only in one of the following scientific fields: Physics, Chemistry, Medicine and Agriculture.
• An international Prize Committee selects the Wolf Prize Laureate(s) in each field. The committee’s decisions are final and irrevocable.
• Imperial has been invited to nominate candidates in each field to receive this prize. Nominations can be made on an individual or joint basis.
  • A joint nomination (of up to three candidates) recognizes only collaborative work or work contributing similarity or additively to the same specific sub-field. In this case, each candidate should be nominated using a separate form, with the jointly filed candidate mentioned in the appropriate place.
  • If a joint nomination is for collaborative work, please state this at the beginning of the "Brief Description" section. Please specify the contribution of each candidate to their joint achievement.
  • A joint nomination serves only as a recommendation for the committee. The committee reviews each candidate individually.

Nomination materials

• HoDs should submit nominations to Lara Breckon (l.breckon@imperial.ac.uk) before COB Sunday 29^th September. Nominations will then be reviewed by RAG (or a subset of RAG chaired by the Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise)).
• Nominations should include:
  • Nomination field (agriculture, medicine, physics, or chemistry)
  • Candidate personal data (first name, surname, affiliation, email, telephone number, mobile number, DOB, place of birth, office address)
  • Proposed prize citation (for diploma) (up to 50 words)
  • Brief description of scientific achievements (1 page)
  • Education and main positions held (1 page)
  • Major Honours and Awards (1 page)
  • List of most significant publications (refereed publications only) (1 page)
  • List of supporters (full name, affiliation, email)
• Please note that further materials will be required for successful candidates following the internal review stage (VPRE deadline COB Friday 25^th October)
  • Three or four letters of support from experts who are not affiliated with the candidate's institution. The letters of support can be written as a collaborative letter of recommendation. The signed letters must be written on formal letterhead. An additional letter from the candidate's institution may be added.
  • A recent candidate's photograph at high resolution of at least 300 dpi.
  • A short biography, up to one page.
• All nominations will be submitted by the Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise).

Limitations

• The Prize is awarded to individuals, not to institutions.
• A person cannot nominate himself/herself.
• Nobel Prize Laureates will not be considered, unless their nomination is proposed for an achievement entirely different from the one recognized by the Nobel Prize.
• Please note that the Wolf Prize is awarded for significant breakthroughs and not for an exemplary career or leadership in a particular field.

For full information, please see the 2025 Wolf Prize website.

Call for nominations

• The Shaw Prize is an international award to honour individuals, regardless of race, nationality, gender and religious belief, who are currently active in their respective fields and who have recently achieved distinguished and significant advances, who have made outstanding contributions in academic and scientific research or applications, or who in other domains have achieved excellence. The award is dedicated to furthering societal progress, enhancing quality of life, and enriching humanity’s spiritual civilization.  
• Preference is to be given to individuals whose significant works were recently achieved and who are currently active in their respective fields.  
• The Shaw Prize for 2025 consists of three awards: the Prize in Astronomy, the Prize in Life Science and Medicine, and the Prize in Mathematical Sciences. Each prize carries a monetary award of US$ 1.2 million. The nomination process begins in September 2024, the laureates to be announced in May/June 2025 and the prizes presented in fall / winter 2025.  
• The Shaw Prize is an international award managed and administered by The Shaw Prize Foundation founded by Mr Run Run Shaw based in Hong Kong. 

Nominations 

• Imperial has been invited as a nominator for the Shaw Prize in Life Science & Medicine 2025. Nominations must be submitted at an institutional level. 
• Nominators may submit one candidate for the 2025 Shaw Prize. Please note that an internal process for this prize will therefore be used. 

Nomination materials

• HoDs should submit nominations to Lara Breckon (l.breckon@imperial.ac.uk) before COB Thursday 10th October. Nominations will then be reviewed by RAG (or a subset of RAG chaired by the Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise)).  
• Nominations should include:  
  • Proposed candidate (Title, first name, surname, university, position, department, e-mail, ORCID) 
  • Proposed citation (Short title (max. 30 words), full citation (max. 120 words).  
  • Scientific justification: Please give your reasons for considering the nominated candidate to be deserving of the award. If the nominee has already received any major international award of a similar magnitude for the same work, then please provide justification for the additional and exceptional award of the Shaw Prize. Nominees who have won national prizes, regardless of the scale of monetary award, could still be considered for the Shaw Prize. 
    • Justification text: This should cite the nominator’s reason for considering the nominated candidate to be deserving of the award. It should provide confirmation with references to the relevant publications, together with an explanation of the scientific and practical influences of these publications. Word limit: 500. 
  • Additional remarks (optional): Please add any other relevant information that you wish to bring to the attention of the Selection Committee. 
    • Remarks text (1) If there are other scientists who have also made very significant contributions to this work and whom you wish to name as joint nominees, please provide information. (2) The Shaw Prize is not intended for works that have already been prominently recognized but does not exclude the person for a different work. If the nominee has already received any major international award of a similar magnitude for the same work, then please provide justification / further information for the additional and exceptional award of the Shaw Prize. Nominees who have won national prizes, regardless of the scale of monetary award, could still be considered for the Shaw Prize. 
  • Supporting documents: Documents can also be attached here. They should be in PDF format and not more than 10MB. 
• Please note that the following further materials will be required for the successful candidate following the internal submission stage (VPRE deadline COB Friday 22nd November). Further materials include:
  • Scientific Justification:
    • Supporting documents: Documents can optionally included here. They should be in PDF format, of not more than 10 pages, and each file should not exceed 10MB. There is no need to attach any publications that are readily available. 
    • Scientific Keywords: Please choose one or more terms from the PLOS One thesaurus. The web form will make suggestions as you type, and it is usually enough to type a short word and then select from the terms offered. We use this information to visualise the spread of nominations to each committee. 
  • Significant works: Please list the most significant works (journal or book references or video links) on which the nomination is based. 
  • Scientific Works text* List up to five journal or book references, web or video links. Please give hyperlinks or DOI where possible. The total word limit is 400. 
  • Attachments (optional): As well as the documents attached to ‘Scientific justification’ and ‘Other remarks’, you can attach any general supporting document to your nomination. Each file should be no more than 10MB. There is no need to attach any publications that are readily available 
• The final nomination will be submitted at an institutional level. 

Nomination rules

• All nominations must be completely confidential.  
• Please complete the form in English.  
• Nominations for The Shaw Prize shall only be submitted by designated nominators. All nominations must be completed personally only by the designated nominator. 
• Each nominator may make only one nomination citing one contribution.  
• Letters of reference, self-nominations and nominations by uninvited persons will not be considered. 
• A nomination may be invalidated if it does not comply with all the rules hereby stipulated. 
• Nominations for the year 2025 shall be valid only if received by the Shaw Prize Secretariat on or before 30 November 2024. Late entries cannot be accepted under any circumstances. 
• Nominations will be considered for that year only, i.e., there shall be no holdovers from one year to another.  
• Should further clarification be required, please contact the Shaw Prize Secretariat (info@shawprize.org). 

For full information, please see the 2025 Shaw Prize website.  

Award Categories

• Physics and Mathematics: Those who have made outstanding achievements in the areas of physics, mathematics, and integrated sciences
• Chemistry and Life Sciences: Those who have made outstanding achievements in the areas of chemistry, life sciences, and integrated sciences
• Engineering: Those who have made outstanding achievements in the areas of engineering and technology
• Medicine: Those who have made outstanding achievements in the areas of medicine and pharmacy
• The Arts: Those who have made outstanding contributions to the arts through creative activities and exhibitions
• Community Service: Those who have made outstanding achievements in the area of social service and contributed to the enhancement of public welfare

Prize

• In principle, the Prize is awarded to one individual. However, if a work being recognised has been produced by multiple individuals, the Prize shall be awarded jointly.
• The Prize in each category consists of a certificate, a gold medal, and 300 million Korean won (approximately 215,000 USD).

Candidate Qualifications & Accomplishments

• Korean citizens or people of Korean heritage are eligible, except for the Community Service category, in which foreigners who have made significant contributions to Koreans at home and abroad may be nominated.
• Candidates must be alive as of the deadline for nominations.
• Accomplishments and accumulated expertise which have contributed to society in their respective fields, and accumulated expertise that has been highly evaluated socially.
• Regarding eligibility for the Prize, certain restrictions may apply if a candidate's achievements are falsely stated, or if the candidate has violated research ethics or engaged in conduct that provokes controversy and breaches social norms.

Nominations materials

• Complete Nomination Form
• Candidate's CV
• 1 Representative Paper and 5 Related Papers (Physics and Mathematics, Chemistry and Life Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine)

Further information can be found on the official Ho-Am Foundation website.

VPRE Office submission deadline: Monday 14th October 2024

Award Categories

• Science Nominees: Nominees for the Albert Einstein World Award of Science should be eminent scientists whose achievements can serve as an inspiration for future generations. Considerations will be given to individuals or institutions in one of the Life Sciences, such as Neuroscience, Earth Science, Biology, Biochemistry, Medicine or Chemistry; or in one of the Natural Sciences such as Physics, Mathematics or Astronomy.
• Education Nominees: A candidate for the José Vasconcelos World Award of Education should be a renowned educator, an authority in the field of teaching, or an individual who has promoted education policies. Through their work, the individual or team should have had a significant influence on the advancement of culture for humankind. The prize is awarded every second year.

Nominations materials

• Nomination Letter: Official institution letterhead with stamp and signature.
• Reference Letters: Two reference letters on official institution letterhead.
• Resume: 1-2 pages outlining reasons for nomination and key achievements.
• Curriculum Vitae: Maximum of three pages.
• Papers: List of the candidate’s 10 most important papers.
• List of Publications: Complete list of publications with titles translated into English.
• Photograph: Recent, high-resolution (300 dpi or more) color photograph of the candidate.
• Completed nomination form

Further information can be found on the official WCC website.

VPRE Office submission deadline: Tuesday 29^th October 2024

Background

• The establishment of the King Faisal Foundation is a token of recognition to an exceptional man in a manner that befits his achievements and honor his memory. Our father’s humanitarian endeavors were devoted to ensuring people’s welfare anywhere, especially in poor countries. His vision was universal at a time when most people were concerned with national issues. Throughout his life, he was keen to provide moral and material support to promote the development of many countries around the world, through long-term economic and social welfare projects. In this regard, the King Faisal Foundation is an international philanthropic organization that strives to embody King Faisal’s dream and aims to make the world a better place by means of charitable projects that are meant to reach the poor and meet some of their urgent needs. As we start our journey in steady steps, our hope is to make that journey great and worthwhile. 
• The idea of establishing the King Faisal Prize came out of the belief in the importance of knowledge and science in opening broader horizons in all fields. It also confirms the cause for which the Foundation was established, which is to spread goodness and hope everywhere, and acknowledge and reward the efforts of scholars and intellectuals in the development and welfare of mankind. From the day it was first established in 1979, the King Faisal Prize has been awarded to 275 laureates, from 43 countries. Many of the Prize’s objectives have been reached, and the Foundation has assumed an outstanding leadership in its efforts to honor some of the world’s scholars and scientists has been well acknowledged. In this regard, 21 among the Prize recipients in medicine and sciences were subsequently awarded the Nobel Prize in their respective fields. 

Nominations

• The General Secretariat of King Faisal Prize has invited Imperial to nominate qualified candidate/s to the King Faisal Prize in Science in the field of “Mathematics” and for King Faisal Prize in Medicine on the topic of “Discoveries Transforming Obesity Therapeutics” for the Year 2026. 

Prize components

• A certificate written in Arabic calligraphy featuring the laureate’s name with a brief description of the work for which s/he is awarded the Prize.  
• A commemorative 24-carat, 200-gram gold medallion 
• A sum of SR 750,000 (USD 200,000) 

Nomination Statutes

• Nominations are accepted from universities, scientific institutions and research centers. 
• Nominations are not accepted from individuals or political parties. 
• Nominated works must be published, likely to benefit mankind and enrich human knowledge. 
• Nominations are not accepted posthumously. 
• Dissertations are not accepted. 
• Laureates of King Faisal Prize shall not be awarded the Prize again. 
• More than one candidate may be nominated, irrespective of their affiliation with the nominating institution. 

Remarks

• Nominations are judged exclusively on the basis of scholarly merit. 
• Nominations may be submitted digitally via KFP website. 
• Nomination documents and nominated works shall not be returned. 
• Any nomination not fulfilling all conditions and requirements shall be excluded. 
• More than one laureate may share the Prize. 
• The decision of the Prize’s selection committee is final. 
• Laureates will be announced in January 2026, and the prizes will be presented at an official ceremony later in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

Requirements

• A detailed CV with a list of the nominee’s publications. 
• A letter of commitment to present two lectures in his/her field of specialization, at academic institutions in the event s/he is awarded the Prize. 
• A copy of each nominated paper; the total number of nominated papers should not exceed ten (10). 
• A copy of each nominated book and/or book chapter. the total number of nominated books and/or book chapters should not exceed five (5). The book’s title cover should be appended with each nominated book chapter. 
• A recent color-photo of the nominee with high resolution. 
• An official letter of nomination for each nominee separately, adequately justifying the nomination and outlining the nominee’s achievements in the field of the Prize. 
• A list of nominated works. 
• A general information form to be filled by the nominee; this form can be duplicated if more than one candidate is nominated and includes: 
  • Nominee’s Name 
  • Date of Birth 
  • Place of Birth 
  • Nationality 
  • Current Position 
  • Qualification  
  • Field of Specialisation  
  • Summary of Major Achievements 
  • Postal Mailing Address 
  • Contact Details (city code, mobile, country code, email, office phone, home phone) 

VPRE Office submission deadline:  Friday 14th March 2025