The Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science is an award given by UNESCO for exceptional skill in presenting scientific ideas to lay people. It was created in 1952, following a donation from Biju Patnaik, Founder President of the Kalinga Foundation Trust in India.

Background The recipient of this annual award must have demonstrated – during a brilliant career as writer, editor, lecturer, film producer, radio/television programme director or presenter – talent in interpreting science and technology for the public. The recipient should have striven to emphasize the international importance of science and technology and the contribution they make to improving public welfare, enriching the cultural heritage of nations, and solving problems facing humanity. Many past prize winners have been scientists, while others have been trained in journalism or have been educators or writers.

Each member state is entitled to nominate a single candidate, through its National Commission for UNESCO, on the recommendation of the national associations for the advancement of science or other science associations, or national associations of science writers or science journalists. Applications from individuals are not accepted.

The laureate is selected by the Director-General of UNESCO upon the recommendation of a four-member jury designated by him. Three members of the jury from different countries of the world are designated on the basis of equitable geographical distribution and the fourth on the recommendation of the Kalinga Foundation Trust.

The Kalinga Prize is awarded during the Celebration of the World Science Day in odd years (2003, 2005, etc.) and in New Delhi, India, in even years. Under the terms of the Prize, the recipient receives forty thousand dollars (US$40,000) and a UNESCO Albert Einstein Silver Medal. The recipient is also awarded the Ruchi Ram Sahni Chair, introduced by the Government of India in 2001 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Kalinga Prize. As holder of the Ruchi Ram Sahni Chair, the winner travels to India for a period of two to four weeks as the guest of the Government of India. The Chair also comprises a token honorarium of US$5,000. In the years when the award ceremony take place during the celebration of the World Science Day, the recipient travels to the city where the science day is being celebrated (2003 in Budapest) as the guest of UNESCO. In the years when it is awarded in New Delhi, the recipient is invited, as the guest of the Kalinga Foundation Trust, to undertake a brief lecture tour in India. For this reason, it is preferable that the recipient be proficient in English.

Each National Commission for UNESCO proposes a candidate only on the recommendation of the national associations for the advancement of science or other science associations, or national associations of science writers or scientific journalists.

The Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science is administered by the Science Analysis and Policies Division of UNESCO.

Kalinga Prize laureates Year Recipient Country 1952 Louis de Broglie 1953 Julian Huxley 1954 Waldemar Kaempffert 1955 1956 George Gamow 1957 Bertrand Russell 1958 Karl von Frisch 1959 Jean Rostand 1960 Ritchie Calder 1961 Arthur C. Clarke 1962 Gerard Piel 1963 Jagjit Singh 1964 Warren Weaver 1965 Eugene Rabinowitch 1966 Paul Couderc 1967 Fred Hoyle 1968 Gavin de Beer 1969 Konrad Lorenz 1970 Margaret Mead 1971 Pierre Victor Auger 1972 Philip H. AbelsonNigel Calder 1973 no award 1974 José Reis 1975 no award 1976 George PorterAlexander Oparin 1977 Fernand Seguin 1978 Hoimar von Ditfurth 1979 Sergei Kapitza 1980 Arístides Bastidas 1981 David AttenboroughDennis Flanagan 1982 Oswaldo Frota-Pessoa 1983 Abdullah Al Muti Sharafuddin 1984 Yves Coppens 1985 Peter Medawar 1986 Nicolai G. BasovDavid Suzuki 1987 Marcel Roche 1988 Björn Kurtén 1989 Saad Ahmed Shabaan 1990 Misbah-Ud-Din Shami 1991 Radu IftimoviciNarender K. Sehgal 1992 Peter Okebukola 1993 Piero Angela 1994 Nikolai N. Drozdov 1995 Julieta Norma Fierro Gossman 1996 Jiří GrygarJayant V. Narlikar 1997 Dorairajan Balasubramanian 1998 Regina Paz LopezEnnio Candotti 1999 Marian Ewurama AddyEmil Gabrielian 2000 Ernst W. Hamburger 2001 Stefano Fantoni 2002 Marisela Salvatierra 2003 Pervez Hoodbhoy 2004 Jean Audouze 2005 2006–2008 No awards due to change of UNESCO rules 2009 Yash PalTrinh Xuan Thuan 2011 René Raúl Drucker Colín 2013 Xiangyi Li 2015 Diego Golombek 2017 Erik Jacquemyn 2019 Karl Kruszelnicki 2021 Jean-Pierre Luminet 2023 Ana María Cetto Source (1952–2021):

Statistics By 2021 the prize had been awarded to 71 people from 26 countries: Country No. of AwardsUnited Kingdom 10 timesUSA 8 timesFrance 7 timesIndia 5 timesRussia (inc. Soviet Union) 5 timesBrazilVenezuela 4 timesMexicoPakistan 2 times Germany Italy CanadaArgentina1 timeArmeniaAustraliaAustriaBangladesh BelgiumChinaCzech RepublicFinlandEgyptGhana Romania Nigeria Philippines Vietnam

Kalinga Samman From 2010, the Kalinga Foundation Trust instituted a state level prize under the name Kalinga Samman for Popularization of Science. The award will be presented annually to an eminent scientist and science litterateur from the state of Odisha for outstanding contribution for popularization of science among the public.

Kalinga Samman laureates Source: Kalinga Samman

Year Recipient 2010 Chitta Ranjan MishraPramod Kumar Mohapatra 2011 Gokulananda Mahapatra 2012 Basanta Kumar Behura 2013 Hara Prasanna Mishra 2014 Trilochan Pradhan 2015 Prafulla Kumar Jena 2016 Dwijesh Kumar Panda 2017 Jnanadeva Maharana 2018 Birendra Kishore Das 2019 Nimai Charan Panda

See also Public awareness of science Popularization of science Science journalism Physics Outreach List of general science and technology awards List of science communication awards

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