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| Breakthrough Prize | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Awarded for | Outstanding contributions inlife sciences,fundamental physics, andmathematics |
| Presented by | Breakthrough Prize Board |
| First award | 2012; 14 years ago (2012) |
| Website | breakthroughprize |
TheBreakthrough 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" philanthropic programs launched by the foundation co-founded byYuri Milner and his wife Julia Milner, along withBreakthrough Initiatives and Breakthrough Junior Challenge.
The Breakthrough Prizes were founded bySergey Brin,Priscilla Chan andMark Zuckerberg,Yuri and Julia Milner, andAnne 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 theAcademy Museum of Motion Pictures.[5]
The trophy was created by artistOlafur Eliasson. Like much of Eliasson's work, the sculpture explores the common ground between art and science. It is molded into the shape of atoroid, recalling natural forms found from black holes and galaxies to seashells and coils of DNA.[6]
| # | Ceremony | Date | Year | Host(s) | Network | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2013 Fundamental Physics Prize Ceremony | March 20, 2013 | 2012 | Morgan Freeman | None | Geneva,Switzerland |
| 2nd | 2014 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony | December 12, 2013 | 2013 | Kevin Spacey | Science Channel | Hangar One,Mountain View, California |
| 3rd | 2015 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony | November 9, 2014 | 2014 | Seth MacFarlane | Discovery Channel &Science Channel(U.S.) BBC World News(worldwide) | |
| 4th | 2016 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony | November 8, 2015 | 2015 | National Geographic FOX | ||
| 5th | 2017 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony | December 4, 2016 | 2016 | Morgan Freeman | ||
| 6th | 2018 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony | November 3, 2017 | 2017 | National Geographic | ||
| 7th | 2019 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony | November 4, 2018 | 2018 | Pierce Brosnan | ||
| 8th | 2020 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony | November 3, 2019 | 2019 | James Corden | ||
| 9th | 2023 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony | April 15, 2023 | 2020–2022 | YouTube | Academy Museum of Motion Pictures,Hollywood, Los Angeles | |
| 10th | 2024 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony | April 13, 2024 | 2023 | |||
| 11th | 2025 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony | April 12, 2025 | 2024 | Barker Hangar |
During the 2025 ceremony,Seth Rogen, who was presenting a physics prize alongsideEdward Norton, attracted attention with some unscripted jokes regarding thescience policy of the second Donald Trump administration. They appeared to target some figures of thetech 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 andRFK 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]