The Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences is awarded once a year by the Inamori Foundation. The Prize is one of three Kyoto Prize categories; the others are the Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology and the Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy. The first Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences was awarded to Claude Elwood Shannon, the “Establishment of Mathematical Foundation of Information Theory”. The Prize is regarded as a prestigious award available in fields which are traditionally not honored with a Nobel Prize.
Fields The Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences is awarded on a rotating basis to researchers in the following four fields: Mathematical sciences (including pure mathematics) Biological sciences (evolution, behavior, ecology, environment) Earth and planetary sciences, astronomy and astrophysics Cognitive science/Life sciences (molecular biology, cell biology, neurobiology)
Laureates Source: Kyoto Prize
Biological sciences YearLaureateCountry1986–George Evelyn Hutchinson1903–1991Outstanding Contribution to Limnology and Community Ecology by Integrative Ecological Niche Theory1990Jane Goodallborn 1934Long-Term Study of Behavior, Sociology, and Ecology of Chimpanzees in the Wild1993–William Donald Hamilton1936–2000Proposal of Inclusive Fitness and the Establishment of Evolutionary Theory of Sociality and Cooperation1997Daniel Hunt Janzenborn 1939Pioneering Study of Biodiversity in Tropics and Its Maintenance Mechanisms2001John Maynard Smith1920–2004Contribution to Evolutionary Biology by Proposing the Idea of the Evolutionarily Stable Strategy (ESS)2005Simon Asher Levinborn 1941Establishment of the field of spatial ecology and the proposition of the biosphere as a "complex adaptive system"2009Barbara Rosemary Grantborn 1936Demonstrating Rapid Evolution Caused by Natural Selection in Response to Environmental ChangesPeter Raymond Grantborn 19362013Masatoshi Neiborn 1931Research on the Evolution of Biological Populations Using Quantitative Analyses of Genetic Variation and Evolutionary Time2017Graham Farquharborn 1947Development of Process-based Models of Photosynthesis and Their Contributions to the Science of Global Environmental ChangesGraham Farquhar 20172022Bryan Grenfellborn 1954Development of an Innovative Methodology for Integrative Analysis of Pathogen Evolution and Epidemics.Bryan T. Grenfell 20222026Farooq Azam born 1940Elucidating the Role of “Microbial Loop” in Marine Carbon Cycling.Farooq Azam 2026
Mathematical sciences YearLaureateCountry1985Claude Elwood Shannon1916–2001Establishment of Mathematical Foundation of Information Theory1989Izrail Moiseevich Gelfand1913–2009Outstanding Contribution to Many Fields of Mathematical Sciences, Especially Pioneering Studies in Functional Analysis1994André Weil1906–1998Broad Contribution to the Modern Mathematics, Especially through the Foundational Works in Algebraic Geometry and Number Theory1998Kiyoshi Itō1915–2008Fundamental Contribution to the Stochastic Analysis, through His Invention of Stochastic Differential Equations, Which Have Been Applied in Various Sciences2002Mikhail Gromovborn 1943Contributions through dramatic developments in a range of mathematical fields by introducing the innovative method of a metric structure for families of various geometrical objects2006Hirotsugu Akaike1927–2009Major contribution to statistical science and modeling with the development of the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC)2010László Lovászborn 1948Outstanding Contributions to Mathematical Sciences Based on Discrete Optimization Algorithms2014Edward Wittenborn 1951Outstanding Contributions to the Development of Mathematical Sciences through the Exploration of Superstring Theory2018Masaki Kashiwaraborn 1947Outstanding Contributions to a Broad Spectrum of Modern Mathematics: Advancement of D-module Theory from Its Foundation2023Elliott H. Liebborn 1932Pioneering Mathematical Research in Physics, Chemistry, and Quantum Information Science Based on Many-Body Physics
Earth and planetary sciences, astronomy and astrophysics YearLaureateCountry1987Jan Hendrik Oort1900–1992Outstanding Contribution to Astronomy by the Elucidation of Structure and Dynamics of the Galaxy1991Edward Norton Lorenz1917–2008Outstanding Contribution to Earth Science and Mathematical Science by the Development of Theoretical Basis of Numerical Study in Meteorology and the Discovery of Deterministic Chaos1995Chūshirō Hayashi1920–2010Outstanding Contribution to Astrophysics through the Theoretical Studies of the Stellar Formation and Evolution and the Formation of Solar System1999Walter Heinrich Munk1917–2019Outstanding Contribution to the Earth Science by the Elucidation of Dynamical Mechanism of Ocean and Its Waves2003Eugene Newman Parker1927–2022Contributions to Astrophysics through the Elucidation of the Solar Wind and Cosmical Magnetohydrodynamic Phenomena2007Hiroo Kanamoriborn 1936Elucidation of Physical Processes of Earthquakes and Its Application to Hazard Mitigation2011Rashid Alievich Sunyaevborn 1943Proposal of the Theory of Fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation to Explore the Expanding Universe, and Outstanding Contribution to High-Energy Astronomy2015Michel Mayorborn 1942Outstanding Contributions in Evolving a New Vision of the Universe through the Discovery of Extrasolar Planet2019James E. Gunnborn 1938Outstanding Contributions to the Elucidation of Cosmic History Based on a Large-Scale Wide-Field Observation.James E. Gunn 2019 2024Paul F. Hoffmanborn 1941Proving Snowball Earth Accelerating Life Evolution and Plate Tectonics Dating Back to the First Half of Earth's History.
Life sciences YearLaureateCountry1992Yasutomi Nishizuka1932–2004Elucidation of Intracellular Signal Transduction System through the Discovery and Functional Analysis of the Protein Kinase C1996Mario Renato Capecchiborn 1937Production of Knockout Mice through the Development of Gene Targeting Technique and Outstanding Contribution to Elucidation of Gene Function2000Walter Jakob Gehringborn 1939Discovery of Conserved Developmental Mechanisms2004Alfred G. Knudson1922–2016Seminal contribution to the establishment of the theory of the tumor suppressor gene in the mechanism of human carcinogenesis2008Anthony James Pawson1952–2013Proposing and Proving the Concept of Adapter Molecules in the Signal Transduction2012Yoshinori Ohsumiborn 1945Outstanding Contribution to Elucidating the Molecular Mechanisms and Physiological Significance of Autophagy, a Cellular Adaptive System to Environment2016Tasuku Honjoborn 1942Discovery of the Mechanism Responsible for the Functional Diversification of Antibodies, Immunoregulatory Molecules and Clinical Applications of PD-12020No award because of COVID-19 pandemic2021Robert G. Roederborn 1942Discovery of the Principle of Gene Transcription Mechanisms in Eukaryotes2025Azim Suraniborn 1945Discovery of Genomic Imprinting in Mammals and Elucidation of Its Molecular Mechanisms.Kyoto Prize 2025
Cognitive science YearLaureateCountry1988Avram Noam Chomskyborn 1928Creation of the Theory of Generative Grammar and Substantial Contribution to the Formation and Development of Cognitive Science
See also Kyoto Prize Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy List of Kyoto Prize winners List of astronomy awards List of biology awards List of mathematics awards
References