L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards

Each year an international jury awards five laureates, selecting one from each of the following regions:

• Africa and the Arab States.
• Asia and the Pacific
• Europe
• Latin America and the Caribbean
• North America (since 2000)

Eligibility requirements alternate every other year based on scientific discipline with laureates in life sciences recognized in even years and laureates in physical sciences, mathematics and computer science recognized in odd years (since 2003).

The same partnership awards the UNESCO-L'Oréal International Fellowships, providing up to $40,000 USD in funding over two years to fifteen young women scientists engaged in exemplary and promising research projects. The Fellowship awards began in 2000 with a one-year award of US$20,000 and offered ten awards until 2003. In 2003, the number of awards increased to 15 and then in 2006, the grant period extended to two years and the amount of the award increased to US$40,000. In 2015, the name Rising Talent Grants was implemented.

As of 2023, 7 L'Oréal-UNESCO laureates have won also a Nobel Prize, these are: Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard in Physiology or Medicine (1995 - unlike the others, she had won the Nobel Prize before receiving this International Award), Elizabeth Blackburn in Physiology or Medicine (2009), Ada Yonath in Chemistry (2009), Emmanuelle Charpentier in Chemistry (2020), Jennifer Doudna in Chemistry (2020), Katalin Karikó in Physiology or Medicine (2023) and Anne L'Huillier in Physics (2023).

Recipients

Legend:

Life sciences (LS), Life and Environmental Sciences (LES) Physical sciences, mathematics and computer science (PMC)

Source:

Special tributes

On the 25th anniversary of the award (2023), a special tribute was given to three researchers in exile, who were or had been forced to interrupt their scientific career in their home country and have pursued their career abroad. A financial reward and a medal of honor was awarded to Mursal Dawodi (artificial intelligence) from Afghanistan, Ann Al Sawoor (mathematics) from Iraq, and Marycelin Baba (molecular biology) from Nigeria.