The Shaw Prize will add computer science to its annual awards in 2027, expanding the program to four fields after recognizing seven researchers at a Hong Kong ceremony Tuesday, Nov. 10.
The new category joins astronomy, life science and medicine, and mathematical sciences. The award in each category carries $1.2 million, the Shaw Prize said. It expects to announce the 2027 laureates in May or June.
Mathematical scientists Emmanuel Candès and Camillo De Lellis were honored for research applying mathematical analysis across areas such as fluid dynamics, geometric measure theory, signal processing, statistics and information theory. Anne Dejean, Hugues de Thé and Zhu Chen received the life science and medicine award for research on acute promyelocytic leukemia and a synergistic targeted therapy. Ken'ichi Nomoto and Stanford Woosley received the astronomy award for work on stellar explosions and the origins of elements.
The ceremony also featured discussion of international research ties and artificial intelligence. The Shaw Prize said Dejean spoke about scientific exchange between France and China and connections between laboratory research and clinical care. De Thé described more than 30 years of collaboration with Chen, who called their partnership “East meets West,” according to the organization.
Candès discussed work to make AI more capable and safer, while De Lellis encouraged young mathematicians to use the technology in ways that support human creativity, the Shaw Prize said.
Five of the seven laureates attended the ceremony and received medals and certificates from Reinhard Genzel. Nomoto and Woosley, the astronomy recipients, sent recorded messages. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee also attended and gave a speech. The 2026 ceremony marked the prize’s 23rd year; it was established in 2002 and first presented in 2004.
Nominations for all four 2027 awards close Nov. 30 and are open by invitation only, the Shaw Prize said.
