12 November 2023 – The Shaw Prize, an international recognition of remarkable scientific achievements based in Hong Kong, celebrated its momentous 20th anniversary with a grand ceremony at the Grand Hall of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event brought together over 30 Shaw Laureates, including 21 winners from 2020 to 2023, who were presented their well-deserved awards on stage. The Ceremony was officiated by the Hon Mr John KC Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China, and was graced by the presence of Ms Lu Xinning, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR, Mr Fang Jianming, Deputy Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Hong Kong SAR, and former Chief Executives, Mr Donald Tsang and Mrs Selina Tsang, Mrs Carrie Lam and Mr Lam Siu-por. Over 600 guests from various sectors including the government, political community, business community and education sector participated in the event.

Dr Raymond Chan, Chair of the Shaw Prize Foundation, extended a warm welcome to the laureates and guests in his opening speech. He paid tribute to the remarkable contributions of the late Mr Run Run Shaw, founder of the Shaw Prize, and Mrs Mona Shaw, emphasizing their profound impact on the art, cultural, and educational development of Hong Kong and mainland China. Dr Chan reiterated the Shaw Prize’s mission is to celebrate scientific accomplishments that transcend geographical boundaries and expressed the hope that the Prize would contribute to making the world a better place.

The Hon Mr John KC Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China, gave a congratulatory message on stage. Joined by the Shaw Prize Foundation Board of Directors and Council Members, The Hon Mr John KC Lee led a toasting ceremony, honouring the achievements of Shaw Laureates, and celebrating the 20 years of accomplishments of the Shaw Prize, to encourage and elevate the next generation of scientists and innovators, for the benefit of humankind.

A defining moment of the night was the presentation of awards to Shaw Laureates 2023 by Professor Reinhard Genzel, Chair of the Board of Adjudicators. Laureates from the years 2020 to 2022, who had previously received their certificates remotely due to the pandemic, were also invited on stage, finally presented with their long-awaited gold medals.

The Shaw Prize in Astronomy 2023 is awarded in equal shares to

Matthew Bailes
Director of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery

Duncan Lorimer
Professor and Interim Chair of Physics and Astronomy and Associate Dean for Research at Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University, USA and

Maura McLaughlin
Eberly Family Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy at West Virginia University, USA
for the discovery of fast radio bursts (FRBs).

The Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine 2023 is awarded in equal shares to

Patrick Cramer
Director, Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences and President-Elect of the Max Planck Society, Germany and

Eva Nogales
Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA

for pioneering structural biology that enabled visualisation, at the level of individual atoms, of the protein machines responsible for gene transcription, one of life’s fundamental processes. They revealed the mechanism underlying each step in gene transcription, how proper gene transcription promotes health, and how dysregulation causes disease.

The Shaw Prize in Mathematical Sciences 2023 is awarded in equal shares to

Vladimir Drinfeld
Harry Pratt Judson Distinguished Service Professor of Mathematics at the University of Chicago, USA and

Shing-Tung Yau
Director, Yau Mathematical Sciences Center at Tsinghua University, PRC
for their contributions related to mathematical physics, to arithmetic geometry, to differential geometry and to Kähler geometry.

About the Shaw Prize

The Shaw Prize was established under the auspices of Mr Run Run Shaw in November 2002 and was first presented in 2004 to honour individuals, regardless of race, nationality, gender and religious belief, who have recently achieved significant breakthrough in academic and scientific research or applications and whose work has resulted in a positive and profound impact on mankind. The Shaw Prize consists of three annual prizes: Astronomy, Life Science and Medicine, and Mathematical Sciences, each bearing a monetary award of US$1.2 million. This is the twentieth year that the Prize has been awarded.