International Balzan Prize Foundation

The International Balzan Prize Foundation’s aim is to promote culture, the sciences, and the most meritorious initiatives in the cause of humanity, peace, and fraternity among peoples throughout the world.

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About us

The International Balzan Prize Foundation’s aim is to promote culture, the sciences, and the most meritorious initiatives in the cause of humanity, peace, and fraternity among peoples throughout the world.

Currently, four annual awards are made: two in literature, moral sciences, and the arts; and two in the physical, mathematical, and natural sciences, and in medicine. In 2001, regulations concerning the prizes were changed, and prize winners must now destine half of their awards for research projects carried out preferably by young humanists and scientists.
At intervals of no less than three years, the Balzan Foundation also awards a prize for Humanity, Peace, and Fraternity among Peoples.

The Balzan Foundation acts jointly through two Foundations: one with headquarters in Milan and the other with headquarters in Zurich. At the “Prize” Foundation in Milan, the General Prize Committee, which is composed of eminent European scholars and scientists, chooses the subject areas of the awards and makes the nominations. The “Fund” Foundation in Zurich administers Eugenio Balzan’s estate.

The Latest Prizewinners

The four Balzan Prizes are awarded to scholars and scientists who have distinguished themselves in their fields on an international level. The Balzan Prize for Humanity, Peace, and Fraternity Among Peoples is a special prize awarded at intervals of no less than three years.
USA 2023

David Damrosch

2023 Balzan Prize for World Literature Research Project
France 2023

Jean-Jacques Hublin

2023 Balzan Prize for Evolution of Humankind: Paleoanthropology Research Project
The Netherlands/Germany 2023

Heino Falcke

2023 Balzan Prize for High resolution images: from planetary to cosmic objects Research Project
Denmark 2023

Eske Willerslev

2023 Balzan Prize for Evolution of Humankind: Ancient DNA and Human Evolution Research Project
Italy 2023

Francesca Rava Foundation

2023 Balzan Prize for Humanity, Peace and Fraternity among Peoples Research Project

Updates

News, facts, appointments, events, and articles about the Prize, the Prizewinners, and the Foundation.

Updates

29 January 2024

Appointments in the International Balzan Foundation

New Chairman and Members in the General Prize Committee

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Updates

4 December 2023

Annual Balzan Lecture 2023 : Alessandra Buonanno in Milan

“Gravitational-Wave Astronomy: exploring the Dark Universe” – Monday 18 December at the Milan Planetarium

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Publications

The Balzan Foundation collects essays, scholarly contributions, and dissertations by its Laureates in books and periodical publications. Two series, the Annual Balzan Lecture and the Balzan Papers, are published by Leo S. Olschki of Florence.

6 September 2023

Economia Politica publishes Martinez-Alier

“Environmental conflicts and the making of world movements for environmental justice” is in the latest issue of the quarterly published by Springer, with an introduction by Alberto Quadrio Curzio [download].

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17 April 2023

“Le détail révélateur” by Jacques Aumont

The eleventh volume of the series of the Annual Balzan Lectures published by Olschki

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1 September 2021

Fourth issue of the magazine Balzan Papers

Multi-disciplinary anthology of the Balzan Foundation, published by Olschki of Florence.

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13 May 2019

Annual Balzan Lecture: Bina Agarwal

Beyond Family Farming: Gendering the Collective: the tenth volume of the series

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Videos: Balzan Prize

Video recordings of major public events organized by the Balzan Foundation

All Videos

Photographs

Photo galleries of Balzan Prizewinners from 1961 to the present, taken at awards ceremonies in Rome and Bern.

All Photos

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Fondazione Internazionale Premio Balzan