Louis de Broglie, first recipient of the Kalinga Prize.

The Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science is an award given by UNESCO for exceptional skill in presenting scientific ideas to lay people. It was created in 1952, following a donation from Biju Patnaik, Founder President of the Kalinga Foundation Trust[1] in India.

Background

The recipient of this annual award must have demonstrated – during a brilliant career as writer, editor, lecturer, film producer, radio/television programme director or presenter – talent in interpreting science and technology for the public. The recipient should have striven to emphasize the international importance of science and technology and the contribution they make to improving public welfare, enriching the cultural heritage of nations, and solving problems facing humanity. Many past prize winners have been scientists, while others have been trained in journalism or have been educators or writers.

Each member state is entitled to nominate a single candidate, through its National Commission for UNESCO, on the recommendation of the national associations for the advancement of science or other science associations, or national associations of science writers or science journalists. Applications from individuals are not accepted.

The laureate is selected by the Director-General of UNESCO upon the recommendation of a four-member jury designated by him. Three members of the jury from different countries of the world are designated on the basis of equitable geographical distribution and the fourth on the recommendation of the Kalinga Foundation Trust.

The Kalinga Prize is awarded during the Celebration of the World Science Day in odd years (2003, 2005, etc.) and in New Delhi, India, in even years. Under the terms of the Prize, the recipient receives forty thousand dollars (US$40,000) and a UNESCO Albert Einstein Silver Medal. The recipient is also awarded the Ruchi Ram Sahni Chair, introduced by the Government of India in 2001 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Kalinga Prize. As holder of the Ruchi Ram Sahni Chair, the winner travels to India for a period of two to four weeks as the guest of the Government of India. The Chair also comprises a token honorarium of US$5,000. In the years when the award ceremony take place during the celebration of the World Science Day, the recipient travels to the city where the science day is being celebrated (2003 in Budapest) as the guest of UNESCO. In the years when it is awarded in New Delhi, the recipient is invited, as the guest of the Kalinga Foundation Trust, to undertake a brief lecture tour in India. For this reason, it is preferable that the recipient be proficient in English.

Each National Commission for UNESCO proposes a candidate only on the recommendation of the national associations for the advancement of science or other science associations, or national associations of science writers or scientific journalists.

The Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science is administered by the Science Analysis and Policies Division of UNESCO.

Kalinga Prize laureates

Source: UNESCO

YearRecipientCountry
1952Louis de Broglie France
1953Julian Huxley United Kingdom
1954Waldemar Kaempffert United States
1955Augusto Pi Sunyer Venezuela
1956George Gamow United States
1957Bertrand Russell United Kingdom
1958Karl von Frisch Germany
1959Jean Rostand France
1960Ritchie Calder United Kingdom
1961Arthur C. Clarke United Kingdom
1962Gerard Piel United States
1963Jagjit Singh India
1964Warren Weaver United States
1965Eugene Rabinowitch United States
1966Paul Couderc France
1967Fred Hoyle United Kingdom
1968Gavin de Beer United Kingdom
1969Konrad Lorenz Austria
1970Margaret Mead United States
1971Pierre Victor Auger France
1972Philip H. Abelson
Nigel Calder
 United States
 United Kingdom
1973no award
1974José Reis
Luis Estrada Martínez
 Brazil
 Mexico
1975no award
1976George Porter
Alexander Oparin
 United Kingdom
 Soviet Union
1977Fernand Seguin Canada
1978Hoimar von Ditfurth Germany
1979Sergei Kapitza Soviet Union
1980Arístides Bastidas Venezuela
1981David Attenborough
Dennis Flanagan
 United Kingdom
 United States
1982Oswaldo Frota-Pessoa Brazil
1983Abdullah Al Muti Sharafuddin Bangladesh
1984Yves Coppens
Igor Petryanov
 France
 Soviet Union
1985Peter Medawar United Kingdom
1986Nicolai G. Basov
David Suzuki
 Soviet Union
 Canada
1987Marcel Roche Venezuela
1988Björn Kurtén Finland
1989Saad Ahmed Shabaan Egypt
1990Misbah-Ud-Din Shami Pakistan
1991Radu Iftimovici
Narender K. Sehgal
 Romania
 India
1992Jorge Flores Valdés
Peter Okebukola
 Mexico
 Nigeria
1993Piero Angela Italy
1994Nikolai N. Drozdov Russia
1995Julieta Norma Fierro Gossman Mexico
1996Jiří Grygar
Jayant V. Narlikar
 Czech Republic
 India
1997Dorairajan Balasubramanian India
1998Regina Paz Lopez
Ennio Candotti
 Philippines
 Brazil
1999Marian Ewurama Addy
Emil Gabrielian
 Ghana
 Armenia
2000Ernst W. Hamburger Brazil
2001Stefano Fantoni Italy
2002Marisela Salvatierra Venezuela
2003Pervez Hoodbhoy Pakistan
2004Jean Audouze France
2005Jeter Bertoletti Brazil
2006–2008No awards due to change of UNESCO rules
2009Yash Pal
Trinh Xuan Thuan
 India
 Vietnam
2011René Raúl Drucker Colín Mexico
2013Xiangyi Li China
2015Diego Golombek Argentina
2017Erik Jacquemyn[2] Belgium
2019Karl Kruszelnicki[3] Australia
2021Jean-Pierre Luminet[4] France
2023Ana María Cetto[5] Mexico

Statistics

By 2021 the prize had been awarded to 71 people from 26 countries:

CountryNo. of Awards
United Kingdom10 times
USA8 times
France7 times
India5 times
Russia (inc. Soviet Union)5 times
Brazil
Venezuela4 times
Mexico
Pakistan2 times
Germany
Italy
Canada
Argentina1 time
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Bangladesh
Belgium
Czech Republic
Finland
Egypt
Ghana
Romania
Nigeria
Philippines
Vietnam

Kalinga Samman

From 2010, the Kalinga Foundation Trust instituted a state level prize under the name Kalinga Samman for Popularization of Science. The award will be presented annually to an eminent scientist and science litterateur from the state of Odisha for outstanding contribution for popularization of science among the public.[6][7]

Kalinga Samman laureates

Source: Kalinga Samman

YearRecipient
2010Chitta Ranjan Mishra
Pramod Kumar Mohapatra
2011Gokulananda Mahapatra
2012Basanta Kumar Behura
2013Hara Prasanna Mishra
2014Trilochan Pradhan
2015Prafulla Kumar Jena
2016Dwijesh Kumar Panda
2017Jnanadeva Maharana
2018Birendra Kishore Das
2019Nimai Charan Panda

See also

References

  1. "Kalinga Foundation Trust". kalingafoundationtrust.com. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  2. "Belgian scientist Erik Jacquemyn to receive UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science". UNESCO. October 25, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  3. Ryan, Claudine (November 20, 2019). "Dr Karl wins UNESCO prize for turning generations on to science". ABC News. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  4. "French astrophysicist and cosmologist Jean-Pierre Luminet to receive UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science". April 11, 2021. Archived from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  5. "Ana María Cetto's dedication to science outreach earns her UNESCO–Kalinga Prize". UNESCO. November 9, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  6. "Kalinga Samman". Kalinga Foundation Trust. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  7. "Kalinga Samman awarded". The Telegraph. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
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