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Breakthrough Prize
International scientific awards From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Breakthrough Prizes are a set of international awards bestowed in three categories by the Breakthrough Prize Board in recognition of scientific advances.[1][2] The awards are part of several "Breakthrough" initiatives founded and funded by Yuri Milner and his wife Julia Milner, along with Breakthrough Initiatives and Breakthrough Junior Challenge.
- Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics
- Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics
- Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences
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The Breakthrough Prizes were founded by Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Yuri and Julia Milner, and Anne Wojcicki. The Prizes have been sponsored by the personal foundations established by Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Ma Huateng, Jack Ma, Yuri and Julia Milner, and Anne Wojcicki.[3] Committees of previous laureates choose the winners from candidates nominated in a process that is online and open to the public.[3]
Laureates receive $3 million each in prize money.[4] They attend a televised award ceremony designed to celebrate their achievements and inspire the next generation of scientists. As part of the ceremony schedule, they also engage in a program of lectures and discussions. Those that go on to make fresh discoveries remain eligible for future Breakthrough Prizes.[3]
Both the 2023 and 2024 ceremonies were held in Los Angeles at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.[5]
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Trophy
The trophy was created by artist Olafur Eliasson. Like much of Eliasson's work, the sculpture explores the common ground between art and science. It is molded into the shape of a toroid, recalling natural forms found from black holes and galaxies to seashells and coils of DNA.[6]
Ceremonies
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2025 ceremony controversy
During the 2025 ceremony, Seth Rogen, who was presenting a physics prize alongside Edward Norton, attracted attention with some unscripted jokes regarding the science policy of the second Donald Trump administration. They appeared to target some figures of the tech oligarchy linked to the Breakthrough Prize.[7] He stated:[8]
"And it’s amazing that others in this room underwrote electing a man who, in the last week, single-handedly destroyed all of American science."
and:
"It’s amazing how much good science you can destroy with $320 million and RFK Jr, very fast."
The comments were edited out from the Youtube broadcast, which aired a week later.[9] A spokesperson for the Breakthrough Prize Foundation said, “This year’s ceremony lasted longer than the prior few years, and several edits were made in order to meet the originally planned run time.” [8] However, it's unclear whether anything else was edited out.[9]
See also
References
External links
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