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The Wolf Prize is an international award granted in
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, that has been presented most years since 1978 to living scientists and artists for ''"achievements in the interest of mankind and friendly relations among people ... irrespective of nationality, race, colour, religion, sex or political views."''


History

The prize is awarded in
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
by the Wolf Foundation, founded by
Ricardo Wolf Ricardo Wolf (originally Richard Wolf; also Ricardo Lobo Subirana, 1887–February 1981) was a German-born inventor, diplomat and philanthropist. After immigrating to Cuba, he served as its ambassador to Israel. In later life he and his wife r ...
, a German-born inventor and former
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
n ambassador to Israel. It is awarded in six fields:
Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...
,
Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...
,
Mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
,
Medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...
,
Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...
, and an Arts prize that rotates between architecture, music, painting, and sculpture. Each prize consists of a diploma and US$100,000. The awards ceremony typically takes place at a session in the
Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (wit ...
. The prize is described by the Foundation as being "awarded annually", but is not in fact awarded every year: between 2000 and 2010, only six prizes were awarded in most fields, and only four in Physics. The Wolf Prizes in Physics and
Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...
are often considered the most prestigious awards in those fields after the Nobel Prize. The prize in physics has gained a reputation for identifying future winners of the Nobel Prize – from the 26 prizes awarded between 1978 and 2010, fourteen winners have gone on to win the Nobel Prize, five of those in the following year. In medicine, the prize is probably the third most prestigious, after the Nobel Prize and the Lasker Award. Until the establishment of the
Abel Prize The Abel Prize ( ; no, Abelprisen ) is awarded annually by the King of Norway to one or more outstanding mathematicians. It is named after the Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel (1802–1829) and directly modeled after the Nobel Pri ...
, the Wolf Prize was probably the closest equivalent of a "Nobel Prize in Mathematics", since the more prestigious
Fields Medal The Fields Medal is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians under 40 years of age at the International Congress of the International Mathematical Union (IMU), a meeting that takes place every four years. The name of the award h ...
was only awarded every four years to mathematicians under forty years old. The Prize in Agriculture has likewise been equated to a "Nobel Prize in Agriculture".National Research Council: "National Research Initiative: A Vital Competitive Grants Program in Food, Fiber and Natural-resources Research", page 155, National Academies Press, 2000 The most recent Wolf Prize was awarded in June 2022 to: * Agriculture—
Pamela Ronald Pamela Christine Ronald (born January 29, 1961) is an American plant pathologist and geneticist. She is a professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and the Genome Center at the University of California, Davis and a member of thInnovative Gen ...
“for pioneering work on disease resistance and environmental stress tolerance in rice”. * Chemistry— Bonnie L. Bassler, Carolyn R. Bertozzi, and Benjamin F. Cravatt III “for their seminal contributions to understanding the chemistry of cellular communication and inventing chemical methodologies to study the role of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins in such biological processes”. * Mathematics— George Lusztig “for groundbreaking contributions to representation theory and related areas”. * Physics— Paul Corkum, Ferenc Krausz, and
Anne L'Huillier Anne L'Huillier (born 1958 in Paris) is a French physicist, and professor of atomic physics at Lund University in Sweden. Life L'Huillier first pursued an education and was awarded a Master of Science in theoretical physics and mathematics, ...
“for pioneering contributions to ultrafast laser science and attosecond physics”. * Architecture— Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Momoyo Kaijima “for their work that highlights the importance to Architecture of its ethnographic and inhabitational characteristics, in their writings and practice”, and Elizabeth Diller “for her exceptional and influential work connecting architecture to artistic practice, engaged in the public domain”.


Laureates per country

Below is a chart of all laureates per country (updated to 2022 laureates). Some laureates are counted more than once if have multiple citizenship.


See also

* Lists of art awards * List of general science and technology awards * List of mathematics awards


References


External links

* * {{authority control Israeli awards International awards Awards established in 1978 1978 establishments in Israel