Yuri Milner’s Breakthrough Prize Ceremony Comes to Hollywood for the First Time
In April 2023, Hollywood hosted Yuri Milner’s Breakthrough Prize ceremony for the first time. The “Oscars of Science” lived up to its nickname, as stars of the stage, screen, and sport gathered at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to celebrate the world’s leading scientists.
The ceremony opened with a comedic video call between host James Corden, A-list actors, and Breakthrough Prize co-founder Yuri Milner. The Israeli billionaire has also founded the Breakthrough Initiatives and Tech For Refugees. Plus, he is a member of the Giving Pledge and the author of the short book Eureka Manifesto.
The Breakthrough Prize
The Breakthrough Prize is the biggest scientific award in the world. The Prize honours scientists and their groundbreaking work, with over $15 million in prizes awarded annually. Each prize is $3 million and presented in the fields of Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics, and Mathematics.
The Breakthrough Prize also celebrates laureates at a globally televised gala awards show. Many have dubbed the grand event the “Oscars of Science.” The previous eight Breakthrough Prize ceremonies have taken place in San Francisco. This year, the event moved to Hollywood, further embodying its “Oscars of Science” title.
The Star-Studded “Oscars of Science”
The highly anticipated ninth Breakthrough Prize ceremony was the first staged since 2019. The event welcomed Hollywood luminaries, business leaders, and science’s finest.
John Legend, will.i.am, and Estelle gave live performances on the night. The ceremony also featured appearances by Kristen Bell, Chris Pine, and an array of other notable celebrities.
But the real stars of the show were the award recipients: top mathematicians and scientists like Jeffery W. Kelly, who won a Life Sciences Breakthrough Prize in 2022. He discovered the molecular basis of neurodegenerative and cardiac transthyretin diseases. Kelly also developed tafamidis, a drug that slows the progression of these diseases.
About Breakthrough Prize Co-Founder Yuri Milner
Yuri Milner is a technology investor and science philanthropist. He and his wife Julia co-founded the Breakthrough Prize in 2012, along with Mark Zuckerberg and other entrepreneurs.
The Breakthrough Prize represents part of the Milners’ commitment to their Giving Pledge. In joining the Giving Pledge, the couple vowed to donate at least half of their lifetime wealth to scientific causes. Yuri Milner’s Giving Pledge also led him to create the Breakthrough Initiatives and Tech For Refugees.
The Breakthrough Initiatives
Yuri Milner and Stephen Hawking announced the launch of the first Breakthrough Initiative, Breakthrough Listen, in 2015. Listen is a $100 million programme that scans the skies for proof of civilisations beyond Earth.
The Breakthrough Initiatives have expanded to include Watch, Message, Discuss, and Starshot. Hawking also lent his support to the launch of the $100 million Starshot project in 2016. The programme hopes to send a nanocraft to our nearest star at one-fifth of the speed of light.
Tech For Refugees
Tech For Refugees partners with leading tech companies to provide aid to refugees worldwide. Its current partners include Airbnb.org, Flexport.org, and Spotify.
Since launching in May 2022, Tech For Refugees has focused mainly on the emergency in Ukraine. From October, the non-profit initiative began expanding its scope to crises in other regions, like Pakistan and the Horn of Africa.
Eureka Manifesto
Yuri Milner has also written a short book about humanity’s place in the Universe and our role in its future. Eureka Manifesto (2021) suggests humanity needs a shared mission: to explore and understand our Universe. Some of the subjects Eureka Manifesto covers include space travel, alien life, and the heroes of science.
Learn more about Giving Pledge signatory Yuri Milner’s Breakthrough Prize.
