# Tang Prize

The Tang Prize (Chinese: 唐獎) is a set of Taiwanese biennial international awards bestowed in four fields: Sustainable Development, Biopharmaceutical Science, Sinology, and Rule of Law. Nomination and selection are conducted by an independent selection committee, which is formed in partial cooperation with the Academia Sinica, Taiwan's top research institution.

## Philosophy

Taiwanese billionaire entrepreneur Samuel Yin announced the creation of the Tang Prizes in January 2013 aiming to "encourage individuals across the globe to chart the middle path to sustainable development".
With the aim to recognize and support contributors for their revolutionary efforts in the research fields critical to the 21st century, the Tang Prize is global in reach. Laureates are selected on the basis of the originality of their work along with their contributions to society, irrespective of gender, religion, ethnicity, or nationality.

## Award categories

The award categories of the Tang Prize include Sustainable Development, Biopharmaceutical Science, Sinology, and Rule of Law.
The Prize in Sustainable Development recognizes those who have made extraordinary contributions to the sustainable development of human societies, especially through groundbreaking innovations in science and technology.
The Prize in Biopharmaceutical Science recognizes original biopharmaceutical or biomedical research that has led to significant advances towards preventing, diagnosing and/or treating major human diseases to improve human health.
The Prize in Sinology recognizes the study of Sinology in its broadest sense, awarding research on China and its related fields, such as Chinese thought, history, philology, linguistics, archaeology, philosophy, religion, traditional canons, literature, and art (excluding literary and art works). Honoring innovations in the field of Sinology, the Prize showcases Chinese culture and its contributions to the development of human civilization.
The Prize in Rule of Law recognizes individual(s) or institution(s) who have made significant contributions to the rule of law, reflected not only in the achievement of the candidate(s) in terms of the advancement of legal theory or practice, but also in the realization of the rule of law in contemporary societies through the influences or inspiration of the work of the candidate(s).

## Laureates

Each laureate receives a Tang Prize medal and diploma. In addition, NT$40 million (US$1.3 million) cash prize is awarded in each category, as well as a research grant of NT$10 million (US$0.33 million), for a total of NT$50 million (US$1.63 million). Should two, or up to three, candidates receive an award in the same category, the cash prize and research grant are shared.
| Year | Field | Name | Nationality | Citation |
| 2024 | Rule of Law | Mary Robinson | Ireland | "for her powerful advocacy for the most disadvantaged in different spheres, including gender equality, poverty alleviation, human rights, and climate justice." |
| 2024 | Sinology | Hsu Cho-yun | Taiwan / United States | "for his exceptional contributions to the field of Sinology". |
| 2024 | Biopharmaceutical Science | Joel F. Habener | United States | "for the discovery of GLP-1 (7-37) as an insulinotropic factor and the development of GLP-1 (7-37)-based anti-diabetic and anti-obesity drugs". |
| 2024 | Biopharmaceutical Science | Svetlana Mojsov | United States | "for the discovery of GLP-1 (7-37) as an insulinotropic factor and the development of GLP-1 (7-37)-based anti-diabetic and anti-obesity drugs". |
| 2024 | Biopharmaceutical Science | Jens Juul Holst | Denmark | "for the discovery of GLP-1 (7-37) as an insulinotropic factor and the development of GLP-1 (7-37)-based anti-diabetic and anti-obesity drugs". |
| 2024 | Sustainable Development | Omar M. Yaghi | Jordan/ Saudi Arabia/ United States | For groundbreaking work on reticular chemistry for Carbon Capture, Energy Storage, and Water Harvesting from Desert Air |
| 2022 | Rule of Law | Cheryl Saunders | Australia | "for her pioneering contributions to comparative constitutional law, and in particular her work on constitution-building in the Asia-Pacific region". |
| 2022 | Sinology | Jessica Rawson | United Kingdom | "for her gift and mastery of the craft of the visible to read the art and artifacts of Chinese civilization." |
| 2022 | Biopharmaceutical Science | Katalin Kariko | Hungary / United States | "for developing COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines." |
| 2022 | Biopharmaceutical Science | Drew Weissman | United States | "for developing COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines." |
| 2022 | Biopharmaceutical Science | Pieter Cullis | Canada | "for developing COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines." |
| 2022 | Sustainable Development | Jeffrey D. Sachs | United States | "for leading Transdisciplinary Sustainability Science." |
| 2020 | Rule of Law | Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association | Bangladesh | "for their efforts in furthering the rule of law and its institutions through education and advocacy. Utilizing innovative strategic litigation, reinforced by rigorous scholarship, these organizations have demonstrated exemplary perseverance in promoting greater individual, social and environmental justice, in milieus where the foundations of the rule of law are under severe challenge." |
| 2020 | Rule of Law | Dejusticia: The Center for Law, Justice and Society | Colombia | "for their efforts in furthering the rule of law and its institutions through education and advocacy. Utilizing innovative strategic litigation, reinforced by rigorous scholarship, these organizations have demonstrated exemplary perseverance in promoting greater individual, social and environmental justice, in milieus where the foundations of the rule of law are under severe challenge." |
| 2020 | Rule of Law | The Legal Agenda | Lebanon | "for their efforts in furthering the rule of law and its institutions through education and advocacy. Utilizing innovative strategic litigation, reinforced by rigorous scholarship, these organizations have demonstrated exemplary perseverance in promoting greater individual, social and environmental justice, in milieus where the foundations of the rule of law are under severe challenge." |
| 2020 | Sinology | Wang Gungwu | Australia | "for his ground-breaking research on the Chinese world order, Chinese overseas, and Chinese migratory experience." |
| 2020 | Biopharmaceutical Science | Charles Dinarello | United States | "for the development of cytokine-targeting biological therapies for the treatment of inflammatory diseases." |
| 2020 | Biopharmaceutical Science | Marc Feldmann | Australia United Kingdom | "for the development of cytokine-targeting biological therapies for the treatment of inflammatory diseases." |
| 2020 | Biopharmaceutical Science | Tadamitsu Kishimoto | Japan | "for the development of cytokine-targeting biological therapies for the treatment of inflammatory diseases." |
| 2020 | Sustainable Development | Jane Goodall | United Kingdom | "Jane Goodall, recognizing her ground-breaking discovery in primatology that redefines human-animal relationship and her lifelong, unparalleled dedication to the conservation of Earth environment." |
| 2018 | Rule of Law | Joseph Raz | United Kingdom Israel | "for his path-breaking contributions to the rule of law, and for deepening our understanding of the very nature of law, legal reasoning, and the relationship between law, morality and freedom." |
| 2018 | Sinology | Stephen Owen | United States | "for his penetrating scholarship and theoretical ingenuity in Classical Chinese prose and poetry, especially Tang poetry and its translation." |
| 2018 | Sinology | Yoshinobu Shiba | Japan | "for his mastery and depth of insight in Chinese social-economic history achieved through his original theoretical lens that fuses the distinctive fortes of Chinese, Japanese, and Western scholarship." |
| 2018 | Biopharmaceutical Science | Anthony R. Hunter | United States | "for the discovery of protein tyrosine phosphorylation and tyrosine kinases as oncogenes, leading to successful targeted cancer therapies." |
| 2018 | Biopharmaceutical Science | Brian J. Druker | United States | "for the discovery of protein tyrosine phosphorylation and tyrosine kinases as oncogenes, leading to successful targeted cancer therapies." |
| 2018 | Biopharmaceutical Science | John Mendelsohn | United States | "for the discovery of protein tyrosine phosphorylation and tyrosine kinases as oncogenes, leading to successful targeted cancer therapies." |
| 2018 | Sustainable Development | James E. Hansen | United States | "for sounding the alarm on climate change, elucidating the physics of climate forcings and feedbacks,quantifying the dangers of global warming, and tirelessly advocating meaningful action and solutions." |
| 2018 | Sustainable Development | Veerabhadran Ramanathan | India | "for making seminal contributions to our fundamental understanding of climate change and impacts of air pollution, and taking direct action to advocate and facilitate effective mitigation policies." |
| 2016 | Rule of Law | Louise Arbour | Canada | "for her enduring contributions to international criminal justice and the protection of human rights, to promoting peace, justice and security at home and abroad, and to working within the law to expand the frontiers of freedom for all." |
| 2016 | Sinology | William Theodore de Bary | United States | "for his pioneering contributions in Confucian studies. In his remarkable academic career spanning over seven decades, he has written and edited over 30 books with many of them making ground-breaking contributions that provide both enlightening insight and honest critique into Confucianism." |
| 2016 | Biopharmaceutical Science | Emmanuelle Charpentier | France | "for the development of CRISPR/Cas9 as a breakthrough genome editing platform that promises to revolutionize biomedical research and disease treatment." |
| 2016 | Biopharmaceutical Science | Jennifer Doudna | United States | "for the development of CRISPR/Cas9 as a breakthrough genome editing platform that promises to revolutionize biomedical research and disease treatment." |
| 2016 | Biopharmaceutical Science | Feng Zhang | United States | "for the development of CRISPR/Cas9 as a breakthrough genome editing platform that promises to revolutionize biomedical research and disease treatment." |
| 2016 | Sustainable Development | Arthur H. Rosenfeld | United States | "for his lifelong and pioneering innovations in energy efficiency resulting in immense reductions in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions around the world." |
| 2014 | Rule of Law | Albie Sachs | South Africa | "for his many contributions to human rights and justice globally through an understanding of the rule of law in which the dignity of all persons is respected and the strengths and values of all communities are embraced, in particular through his efforts in the realization of the rule of law in a free and democratic South Africa, working as activist, lawyer, scholar, and framer of a new Constitution to heal the divisions of the past and to establishing a society that respects diversity and is based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights." |
| 2014 | Sinology | Yu Ying-shih | United States | "for his mastery of and insight into Chinese intellectual, political, and cultural history with an emphasis on his profound research into the history of public intellectuals in China." |
| 2014 | Biopharmaceutical Science | James P. Allison | United States | "for the discoveries of CTLA-4 and PD-1 as immune inhibitory molecules that led to their applications in cancer immunotherapy." Two winners then won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine together in 2018. |
| 2014 | Biopharmaceutical Science | Tasuku Honjo | Japan | "for the discoveries of CTLA-4 and PD-1 as immune inhibitory molecules that led to their applications in cancer immunotherapy." Two winners then won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine together in 2018. |
| 2014 | Sustainable Development | Gro Harlem Brundtland | Norway | "for her innovation, leadership and implementation of sustainable development that laid out the scientific and technical challenges for the global community to achieve a better balance of economic development, environmental integrity, and social equality for the benefit of all humanity." |

### List of countries by laureates

Until 2024.
| Rank | Country | Laureates |
| 1 | United States | 19 |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 4 |
| 3 | Japan | 3 |
| 3 | Australia | 3 |
| 4 | Canada | 2 |
| 4 | Taiwan | 2 |
| 5 | Norway | 1 |
| 5 | South Africa | 1 |
| 5 | France | 1 |
| 5 | India | 1 |
| 5 | Israel | 1 |
| 5 | Bangladesh | 1 |
| 5 | Colombia | 1 |
| 5 | Lebanon | 1 |
| 5 | Hungary | 1 |
| 5 | Jordan | 1 |
| 5 | Saudi Arabia | 1 |
| 5 | Denmark | 1 |
| 5 | Ireland | 1 |

## Selection Committee

Nomination and selection for the first and second Tang Prize cycles (2013–2014 and 2015–2016, respectively) were conducted by the Academica Sinica on commission of the Tang Prize Foundation; beginning with the third prize cycle (2017–2018), nomination and selection are now conducted by an independent selection committee which is formed in partial cooperation with the Academia Sinica.
The Tang Prize Selection Committee is composed of four separate committees, one per prize category. The committees invite respected scholars and institutions from around the world, including many Nobel laureates, to submit nominees, ensuring those nominated have attained a sufficient level of achievement.

## Timeline

Events during the award year:
| Time | Event |
| May | Decisions made by the Selection Committee. |
| June 18–21 | Announcement of the laureate(s) in each of the award category. |
| September | Award Ceremony and the Tang Prize Week events. |