The Kyoto Prize

The Kyoto Prize is a preeminent international award created by Japan’s non-profit Inamori Foundation to honor those who have contributed significantly to humankind’s scientific, cultural and spiritual betterment. The prize is presented in Kyoto on November 10 each year in the categories of Advanced Technology, Basic Sciences, and Arts and Philosophy. Since 1985, Kyoto Prizes have been awarded to 124 laureates from 18 countries – ranging from scientists, engineers and researchers to artists, architects, musicians, sculptors and film directors.

Dr. Kazuo Inamori, an international entrepreneur and humanitarian, established the Kyoto Prize for two reasons: First, to reflect his belief that there is no higher calling than to work for the greater good of society; and second, to recognize dedicated people who improve the world through their research, science and art. Through the Kyoto Prize, the Inamori Foundation works to recognize extraordinary human achievement and stimulate people to reach still greater heights.

The Kyoto Prize Symposium – March 11-13, 2025

The Kyoto Prize Symposium is a three-day North American celebration of the lives and works of those receiving the prestigious Kyoto Prize. The Symposium provides the only opportunity for a North American audience to learn about the achievements of the latest Kyoto Prize laureates and to discuss the relationship between their accomplishments and the common quest for peace and harmony among peoples, cultures and nations.

Major Events Include:

Wednesday, March 12, 2025, The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center (5:30 p.m.)

Opening Ceremonies & Scholarship Gala honoring the 39th Kyoto Prize laureates. Presentation of six Kyoto Prize Symposium Scholarships valued up to $10,000 to high school recipients from San Diego and Tijuana.

Wednesday, March 12, 2025, UC San Diego, Price Center (Ballroom East)

10:00 - 11:30 a.m. - (Advanced Technology Presentation) John Pendry is Professor of Theoretical Solid State Physics at Imperial College London and one of the UK’s leading theoretical physicists. Pendry’s post PhD research at Cambridge focused on a low-energy diffraction technique for examining and measuring the surface of materials. He theorized that materials with electromagnetic properties not found in nature, such as negative-refractive-index materials (metamaterials), can provide smaller microstructures than the target electromagnetic waves. This groundwork helped create innovative materials such as “superlenses” and “invisibility cloaks.” In 2014, he was recognized by both the Kavli Prize in Nanoscience and the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry.

1:00 - 2:30 p.m. - (Basic Sciences Presentation) Paul F. Hoffman is Professor Emeritus of Geology at Harvard. Hoffman has accomplished landmark achievements regarding snowball Earth (global freezing) and plate tectonics in Earth’s early history. A PhD graduate of Johns Hopkins, Hoffman served the Geological Survey of his native Canada for 25 years, followed by 15 years at Harvard with related research in Sub-Saharan Africa. Hoffman’s breakthroughs in snowball Earth research guided our understanding of the rapid diversification of animals in the Cambrian period 520 million years ago. Hoffman’s many geological awards include the Penrose Medal and Canada’s Logan Medal.

Thursday, March 13, 2025, UC San Diego

10:00 - 11:30 a.m. - (Arts & Philosophy Presentation) William Forsythe is a choreographer whose work reoriented ballet from a classical repertoire focus to a dynamic 21st-century art form. After dancing with the Joffrey Ballet and the Stuttgart Ballet, he created his first choreographic work at Stuttgart. In 1984, he became director of the Ballet Frankfurt, and in 2005, he founded The Forsythe Company, where he was director until 2015. Deconstructing the conventional concept of choreography and dance, Forsythe challenges social norms, plays with improvisation, and integrates ballet with visual arts. Forsythe holds an honorary doctorate from The Julliard School in New York and is an Honorary Fellow at the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance in London.