The Shaw Prize Foundation announced on Wednesday its first-ever new award category — a dedicated prize for computer science, to recognize the discipline’s transformative and foundational impact on modern life and scientific exploration.
The new award carries a monetary prize of $1.2 million, the same as the existing three Shaw Prize categories — astronomy, life science and medicine, and mathematical sciences. Foundation officials said at a news conference that the inaugural laureates will be announced in the spring of 2027.
The nomination period for the new category will be from September to November.
The annual international Shaw Prize, known as “the Nobel Prize of the East”, was founded by the late Hong Kong media mogul and philanthropist Run Run Shaw in 2002. The award has honored more than 110 outstanding scientists and scholars since its first awards in 2004.
In his address, foundation Chairman Raymond Chan Wai-man, said that the extension of the Shaw Prize reflects the commitment to the founding mission: recognizing outstanding achievements that advance human progress.
“Computer science is going to shape the coming decades and centuries of progress. This new prize category is a natural extension of our existing awards, reflecting the intellectual contributions and global impact that the Shaw Prize has always sought to honor,” Chan said.
“By adding computer science, the Shaw Prize will continue to spotlight the most groundbreaking ideas of our time — ideas that benefit humankind,” he added.
Kenneth Young Gong-hoi, chairman of the Shaw Prize Council and vice-chairman of the Board of Adjudicators, said that the new prize will operate in parallel with the three existing categories, following the same governance and selection guidelines.
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Mathematician Tony Chan Fan-cheong has been appointed chairman of the computer science prize’s planning committee, and a member of its selection committee. He expressed his honor in leading the preparatory work and assembling a global team of top experts to define the award’s scope and execution guidelines.
He said he expects that the prize could serve as a catalyst to inspire young people to pursue careers in relevant fields and attract international talent to the city.
Jennifer Chayes, dean of the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society at the University of California, Berkeley, heads the new prize’s selection committee.
Chayes, who flew to Hong Kong for the event, underscored computer science as a profound intellectual discipline, much like other basic sciences honored by the prize.
She also encouraged invited field leaders to recommend candidates during the nomination period.
With the launch of the new category, Chayes expressed her belief that the Shaw Prize will be “incredibly important” as a globally recognized award. “I think we'll have a profound effect on the field and on the world,” she said.
Contact the writer at stacyshi@chinadailyhk.com
