Balzan Prize

The International Balzan Prize Foundation gives out four big prizes each year. These prizes go to people or organizations who have done amazing work.

The prizes are for big achievements in areas like humanities, natural sciences, culture, and working for peace and friendship among all people.

These prizes help to show and support the best ideas and actions from around the world. They show how important it is to make the world better through learning, science, art, and helping others live together peacefully. Many important discoveries and creations have been recognized with these prizes.

History

The Balzan Prize started with money from Eugenio Balzan, an Italian businessman. He moved his money to Switzerland because he did not like unfair laws. He left the money to his daughter, Angela Lina Balzan. She wanted to start a foundation but she passed away before she could.

The first Balzan Prize was given in 1961 to the Nobel Foundation. After a long break, the prizes started again in 1978. That year, the prize was given to Mother Teresa. The prize ceremonies are held in either Bern or Rome. Many winners of the Balzan Prize later also won Nobel Prizes.

Procedure

The Balzan Prize is given each year to people or groups who have done great work. A group of twenty important experts from Europe chooses the winners. Every year, the foundation decides which areas will get prizes and how much money each winner will receive. Usually, this information is shared in May, and the winners are announced in September of the next year.

Rewards and assets

Since 2001, the Balzan Prize has given out 1 million Swiss Francs for each award. Winners must use half of this money to help young researchers.

By 2017, each Balzan Prize was set to 750,000 Swiss francs. This is about €760,000, $750,000, or £660,000.

Categories

Each year, four special awards are given for great work in areas like books, art, science, and helping people get along. These awards began in 1978 and change each year to focus on new topics. They celebrate fresh ideas and discoveries.

Sometimes, every few years, there is a special award for making the world a better place and helping everyone live together in peace. The last time this special award was given was in 2014 to a group called Vivre en Famille.

Recipients

Main article: List of Balzan Prize recipients

The Balzan Prize is given each year to people or groups who have done great work. The work can be in areas like humanities, natural sciences, culture, and making peace and friendship among people better. You can see a full list of these winners if you want to know more.