The Annual Balzan Prizes
The Balzan Prizes are chosen by the General Prize Committee in two general subject areas: Literature, Moral Sciences and the Arts; and the Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences and Medicine. The four Balzan Prizes, two per category, are awarded to scholars, artists and scientists who have distinguished themselves in their fields on an international level.
The subject areas in which the awards are granted are rotated, and this special characteristic of the Balzan Prize ensures the promotion and recognition of new or emerging fields of study or research that may have been overlooked by other international awards.
In 2001, the Articles of the Balzan Foundation made a stipulation that prizewinners must destine half of the prize to finance research projects that are preferably carried out by young scholars or scientists.
The General Prize Committee announced that the 2012 Balzan Prizes will be awarded in the following fields:
-Jurisprudence
-Musicology
-Solid Earth Sciences, with emphasis on interdisciplinary research
-Epigenetics.
The Balzan Prize for Humanity, Peace and Brotherhood Among Peoples
The Balzan Prize for Humanity, Peace and Brotherhood Among Peoples is a special prize awarded at intervals of no less than three years. It is destined to a person or an organisation that has achieved distinction for outstanding humanitarian work.