About the Kyoto Prize

The Kyoto Prize

1. The Kyoto Prize is an international award to honour those who have contributed significantly to the scientific, cultural, and spiritual betterment of humankind. The Prize is presented annually in each of the following three categories: Advanced Technology, Basic Sciences, and Arts and Philosophy.

2. Laureates shall in principle be individuals (one person per category). However, in special cases a single Prize may be shared among more than one person. Selection is made without regard to nationality, race, gender, age, or religion. Each laureate is presented with a diploma, a Kyoto Prize medal, and prize money of 100 million yen per category.

3. Each Kyoto Prize category comprises four fields. The specific fields to be awarded in a given year are determined each year.

4. Candidates for the Kyoto Prize are nominated by official Kyoto Prize nominators, who are selected annually by the Inamori Foundation from among recognized domestic and international authorities.

5. Selection of the laureates is conducted fairly and impartially by the Kyoto Prize Selection Organization, comprising three steps: a separate Kyoto Prize Selection Committee and Kyoto Prize Committee for each category, plus the Kyoto Prize Executive Committee.

6. The Kyoto Prize laureates are announced each June; the Kyoto Prize presentation ceremony and related events are held in Kyoto, Japan, each November.

For more information visit the Kyoto Prize website.

The Inamori Foundation

The Kyoto Prize is awarded by the Inamori Foundation, founded in 1984 by Kazuo Inamori, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Kyocera Corporation.

The activities of the Inamori Foundation reflect the lifelong beliefs of its founder that people have no higher calling than to strive for the greater good of humankind and society and that the future of humanity can be assured only when there is a balance between scientific development and the enrichment of the human spirit.

The Foundation seeks to actively promote peace and prosperity among all people on earth through the promotion of mutual understanding. It does this through programs of public recognition and the support of creative activities to foster science, culture, and the enrichment of the human spirit, as well as through social contributions.

For more information visit the Inamori Foundation website.

Kyoto Prize
Kyoto Prize
Kyoto Prize

Images by the Inamori Foundation.