The Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science is an award given by UNESCO for exceptional skill in presenting scientific ideas to lay people. It was created in 1952, following a donation from Biju Patnaik, Founder President of the Kalinga Foundation Trust [1] in India.
The recipient of this annual award must have demonstrated – during a brilliant career as writer, editor, lecturer, film producer, radio/television programme director or presenter – talent in interpreting science and technology for the public. The recipient should have striven to emphasize the international importance of science and technology and the contribution they make to improving public welfare, enriching the cultural heritage of nations, and solving problems facing humanity. Many past prize winners have been scientists, while others have been trained in journalism or have been educators or writers.
Each member state is entitled to nominate a single candidate, through its National Commission for UNESCO, on the recommendation of the national associations for the advancement of science or other science associations, or national associations of science writers or science journalists. Applications from individuals are not accepted.
The laureate is selected by the Director-General of UNESCO upon the recommendation of a four-member jury designated by him. Three members of the jury from different countries of the world are designated on the basis of equitable geographical distribution and the fourth on the recommendation of the Kalinga Foundation Trust.
The Kalinga Prize is awarded during the Celebration of the World Science Day in odd years (2003, 2005, etc.) and in New Delhi, India, in even years. Under the terms of the Prize, the recipient receives forty thousand dollars (US$40,000) and a UNESCO Albert Einstein Silver Medal. The recipient is also awarded the Ruchi Ram Sahni Chair, introduced by the Government of India in 2001 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Kalinga Prize. As holder of the Ruchi Ram Sahni Chair, the winner travels to India for a period of two to four weeks as the guest of the Government of India. The Chair also comprises a token honorarium of US$5,000. In the years when the award ceremony take place during the celebration of the World Science Day, the recipient travels to the city where the science day is being celebrated (2003 in Budapest) as the guest of UNESCO. In the years when it is awarded in New Delhi, the recipient is invited, as the guest of the Kalinga Foundation Trust, to undertake a brief lecture tour in India. For this reason, it is preferable that the recipient be proficient in English.
Each National Commission for UNESCO proposes a candidate only on the recommendation of the national associations for the advancement of science or other science associations, or national associations of science writers or scientific journalists.
The Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science is administered by the Science Analysis and Policies Division of UNESCO.
Source: UNESCO
By 2021 the prize had been awarded to 71 people from 26 countries:
| Country | No. of Awards |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 10 times |
| USA | 8 times |
| France | 7 times |
| India | 5 times |
| Russia (inc. Soviet Union) | 5 times |
| Brazil | |
| Venezuela | 4 times |
| Mexico | |
| Pakistan | 2 times |
| Germany | |
| Italy | |
| Canada | |
| Argentina | 1 time |
| Armenia | |
| Australia | |
| Austria | |
| Bangladesh | |
| Belgium | |
| China | |
| Czech Republic | |
| Finland | |
| Egypt | |
| Ghana | |
| Romania | |
| Nigeria | |
| Philippines | |
| Vietnam | |
From 2010, the Kalinga Foundation Trust instituted a state level prize under the name Kalinga Samman for Popularization of Science. The award will be presented annually to an eminent scientist and science litterateur from the state of Odisha for outstanding contribution for popularization of science among the public. [6] [7]
Source: Kalinga Samman
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Chitta Ranjan Mishra Pramod Kumar Mohapatra |
| 2011 | Gokulananda Mahapatra |
| 2012 | Basanta Kumar Behura |
| 2013 | Hara Prasanna Mishra |
| 2014 | Trilochan Pradhan |
| 2015 | Prafulla Kumar Jena |
| 2016 | Dwijesh Kumar Panda |
| 2017 | Jnanadeva Maharana |
| 2018 | Birendra Kishore Das |
| 2019 | Nimai Charan Panda |
The Nobel Prizes are five separate prizes awarded to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind, as established by the 1895 will of Swedish chemist, engineer, and industrialist Alfred Nobel, in the year before he died. Prizes were first awarded in 1901 by the Nobel Foundation. Nobel's will indicated that the awards should be granted in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. A sixth prize for Economic Sciences, endowed by Sweden's central bank, Sveriges Riksbank, and first presented in 1969, is also frequently included, as it is also administered by the Nobel Foundation. The Nobel Prizes are widely regarded as the most prestigious awards available in their respective fields.
The Nobel Prize in Physics is an annual award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions to mankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901, the others being the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Physics is traditionally the first award presented in the Nobel Prize ceremony.
Douglas Dean Osheroff is an American physicist known for his work in experimental condensed matter physics, in particular for his co-discovery of superfluidity in Helium-3. For his contributions he shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physics along with David Lee and Robert C. Richardson. Osheroff is currently the J. G. Jackson and C. J. Wood Professor of Physics, emeritus, at Stanford University.
The Carlos J. Finlay Prize is a biennial scientific prize sponsored by the Government of Cuba and awarded since 1980 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to people or organizations for their outstanding contributions to microbiology and its applications. Winners receive a grant of $5,000 USD donated by the Government of Cuba and an Albert Einstein Silver Medal from UNESCO.
Yash Pal was an Indian scientist, educator and educationist. He was known for his contributions to the study of cosmic rays, as well as for being an institution-builder. In his later years, he became one of the leading science communicators of the country.
Science outreach, also called education and public outreach or simply public outreach, is an umbrella term for a variety of activities by research institutes, universities, and institutions such as science museums, aimed at promoting public awareness of science and making informal contributions to science education.
Chad Alexander Mirkin is an American chemist. He is the George B. Rathmann professor of chemistry, professor of medicine, professor of materials science and engineering, professor of biomedical engineering, and professor of chemical and biological engineering, and director of the International Institute for Nanotechnology and Center for Nanofabrication and Molecular Self-Assembly at Northwestern University.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature, peace, and physiology or medicine. This award is administered by the Nobel Foundation, and awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on proposal of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry which consists of five members elected by the Academy. The award is presented in Stockholm at an annual ceremony on 10 December, the anniversary of Nobel's death.
Gokulananda Mahapatra was an Indian scientist and science fiction writer, who popularized science in the Odia language. Mahapatra has authored over 95 science fiction and children science books. Some of his notable contributions are Krutrima Upagraha, Prithibi bahare Manisha, Chandra ra Mrutyu, Nishabda Godhuli, Madam Curie and Nila Chakra Bala Sapare. He was the founding member of Orissa Bigyana Prachar Samhiti with the objective of making science popular in the state of Orissa. He received Orissa Sahitya Akademy Award for his book E juga ra sreshtha abiskara.
Marian Ewurama Addy was a Ghanaian biochemist and the first Host of the National Science and Maths Quiz. The first Ghanaian woman to attain the rank of full professor of natural science, Addy became a role model for school girls and budding female scientists on the limitless opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Marian Addy was also a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, elected in 1999. In the same year, she was awarded the UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science.
Narender K. Sehgal was an Indian physicist, scientific administrator, and science populariser. He was born in Lahore. He worked as Scientific Officer in the Theoretical Reactor Physics Division of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. In 1963 he went to US for his MSc and PhD in particle physics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He became professor of physics at the Somali National University in Magadiscio, East Africa. He returned to India in 1978 as visiting scientist at the Space Applications Centre (SAC) of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). In 1982 he joined the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India. He was head of the National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) and later Vigyan Prasar, where he remained until his retirement in 2000.
Xiangyi Li is a Chinese scientist, and the current director and co-founder of the China Science and Technology Museum in Beijing, China. Li was awarded the 2013 UNESCO Kalinga Prize for his contributions to popularization of science.
Dipankar Das Sarma, popularly known as D.D. Sarma, is an Indian scientist and structural chemist, known for his researches in the fields of Solid State Chemistry, Spectroscopy, Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Science, and Nanoscience. He is a former MLS Chair Professor of Physics and Chairman of the Centre for Advanced Materials and the GAST Professor of Uppsala University, Sweden, A recipient of TWAS Physics Prize and the UNESCO Biennial Javed Husain Prize, Sarma was honored by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of India, in 1994, with the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology.
Dorairajan Balasubramanian, popularly known as Professor Balu, is an Indian biophysical chemist and ocular biochemist. He is a former President of Indian Academy of Sciences and a director of research at the Prof. Brien Holden Eye Research Centre of L. V. Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad. A recipient of the National Order of Merit (France), Balasubramanian was honored by the Government of India, in 2002, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.
Sant Singh Virmani is a US-based Indian plant breeder, rice scientist and a former Principal Scientist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). He served IRRI from 1979 to 2005 and retired from its service as the deputy head of the Plant Breeding, Genetics and Biochemistry Division.
The UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education is an award, recognizing outstanding contributions to the advancement of female education. Supported by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the Prize is conferred annually to two laureates. The prize awards USD 50,000 to each laureate to further their work in the area of girls’ and women’s education. Laureates are nominated by Member States, in consultation with their National Commissions, as well as non-governmental organizations in official partnership with UNESCO. They are recognized by UNESCO's Director General.
The University College of Science, Technology and Agriculture are two of five main campuses of the University of Calcutta (CU). The college served as the cradle of Indian sciences by winning the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 and many fellowships of the Royal Society London.
Savitri Sahni, born Savitri Suri, was president of the Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleosciences from 1949 to 1969.
| Authority control databases: National |
|---|
