TAIPEI, TAIWAN--(Marketwired - Jun 16, 2016) - Following a year-long selection process, recipients of the 2016 Tang Prize are now about to be announced over four days of press conferences. The announcements will begin on June 18 with the prize in Sustainable Development. A live stream of the announcement will be available on the prize website (www.tang-prize.org) and YouTube, starting each day at 10:00 a.m. Taiwan time (GMT+8).
This year is the second awarding of the international prize, which celebrated its inaugural year in 2014. According to the prize foundation's CEO Jenn-Chuan Chern, 20% to 70% more nominations were received this year as compared to 2014, indicating broader recognition and participation from the international community. It also suggests a positive response to the inaugural 2014 prize winners.
The Tang Prize in Sustainable Development recognizes individuals or institutions who have made extraordinary contributions to the sustainable development of human societies, especially through groundbreaking innovations in science and technology. As many as three recipients in the category will receive a cash prize of up to US$1.24 million. In addition to the cash prize, a grant of approx. US$311,000 is awarded per category.
Gro Harlem Brundtland was awarded the very first prize in Sustainable Development in 2014 for her numerous contributions to the field. She led the UN World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) from 1984 to 1987. "Our Common Future," also known as the Brundtland Report, was published in 1987, and became a seminal text for its definition of the term 'sustainable development.' The Brundtland Report and Earth Summit have continued to influence subsequent UN conferences, including Rio+20 and the COP meetings.
Founded in 2012 by Samuel Yin, the Tang Prize awards achievements in four categories: Sustainable Development, Biopharmaceutical Science, Sinology, and Rule of Law. Yin founded the Tang Prize in a spirit of humanitas inspired by the Nobel Prize, which was founded nearly 100 years previous. He saw that the world today was facing problems categorically different and more global from those we faced just a century ago: climate change, new and dangerous diseases, clashes of cultures and mindsets. He saw also the importance of education, one of the core values of the Tang Prize, in driving social progress.
Nomination and selection of laureates is conducted by Taiwan's highest academic institution, the Academia Sinica. Recipients are chosen on the basis of the originality of their work along with their contributions to society, irrespective of nationality, ethnicity, gender, and political affiliation.
Beginning with Sustainable Development on June 18, the newest round of awardees will be announced live streaming on June 18-21, 2016, and will receive the medal, diploma, and cash prize at the award ceremony on September 25 in Taipei.
About Tang Prize
Dr. Samuel Yin, chairman of Ruentex Group, founded the Tang Prize in December of 2012 as an extension of the supreme value his family placed on education. Harkening back to the golden age of the Tang Dynasty in Chinese history, the Tang Prize seeks to be an inspiring force for people working in all corners of the world. For more information on the Tang Prize and its laureates, please visit www.tang-prize.org
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