Shaw Prize Foundation Establishes Computer Science Award
The Shaw Prize Foundation announced the establishment of The Shaw Prize in Computer Science. The new award highlights the rising global profile of computer science research and its potential for commercial application.
- The new prize comes with a US$1.2 million award, placing it among the most lucrative recognitions in the field, comparable to the A.M. Turing Award, often called the "Nobel Prize of Computing," which has a $1 million prize. - Established by the late Hong Kong media mogul Run Run Shaw in 2002, the Shaw Prize is often referred to as the "Nobel of the East" and has awarded prizes in astronomy, life science and medicine, and mathematical sciences since 2004. - The inaugural selection committee for the computer science prize features prominent figures, including multiple Turing Award laureates like Yann LeCun and former Stanford University President John L. Hennessy. - The committee is chaired by Jennifer Chayes, Dean of the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society at the University of California, Berkeley. - The first nominations for the computer science prize will be accepted from September to November 2026, with the inaugural winners scheduled to be announced in the spring of 2027. - The addition of a computer science category is the first major expansion of the prize in over two decades, signaling a recognition of the foundational impact the field has on all other areas of scientific research.
