The Kalinga Prize is an award given by UNESCO for the popularization of science. It is given to those who display great skill in presenting scientific ideas to ordinary people.
The prize was instituted in 1952, based on a donation given by the prominent Indian politician and former Chief Minister of Orissa, the late Biju Patnaik. Mr. Patnaik was also the founder-president of the Kalinga Foundation Trust.
The Kalinga Prize is given to those who demonstrate great talent at explaining science and technology to the public. The recipients of this honor have been writers, lecturers, editors, radio and TV personalities, and so on.
The recipients of this award have worked hard to emphasize the importance of science and technology, promote public welfare through the application of scientific principles and enrich the cultural heritage of nations. They have been scientists, writers and journalists – what’s common amongst all of them is their ability to solve problems faced by lay persons through science.
The winners of the prize are selected by the Director-General of UNESCO. Nominations are invited from all member states of the United Nations. The nominations are based on the recommendations of scientific associations, national associations of science writers and associations of science journalists.
The Kalinga Prize is awarded on every odd year (such as 2009, 2011, 2013…) on the occasion of the World Science Day. It carries a cash prize of $40,000. Recipients are also given an UNESCO Albert Einstein Silver Medal.
Further, the recipients of the prize are offered the Ruchi Ram Sahni Chair by the Government of India. They are invited to go on a lecture tour of 2 to 4 weeks across the country as special guests of the Indian government.
1952 Louis de Broglie – France
1953 Julian Huxley – UK
1954 Waldemar Kaempffert – USA
1955 Augusto Pi Sunyer (es) – Venezuela
1956 George Gamow – USA
1957 Bertrand Russell – UK
1958 Karl von Frisch – Germany
1959 Jean Rostand – France
1960 Ritchie Calder – UK
1961 Arthur C. Clarke – UK
1962 Gerard Piel – USA
1963 Jagjit Singh (writer) – India
1964 Warren Weaver – USA
1965 Eugene Rabinowitch – USA
1966 Paul Couderc – France
1967 Fred Hoyle – UK
1968 Gavin de Beer – UK
1969 Konrad Lorenz – Austria
1970 Margaret Mead – USA
1971 Pierre Augier – France
1972 Philip H. Abelson – USA;
Nigel Calder – UK
1973 no award
1974 José Reis – Brazil
Luis Estrada Martinez (es) – Mexico
1975 no award
1976 George Porter – UK
Alexander Oparin – Russia
1977 Fernand Seguin – Canada
1978 Hoimar von Ditfurth – Germany
1979 Sergei Kapitza – Russia
1980 Arístides Bastidas – Venezuela
1981 David Attenborough – UK
Dennis Flanagan – USA
1982 Oswaldo Frota-Pessoa – Brazil
1983 Abdullah Al Muti Sharafuddin – Bangladesh
1984 Yves Coppens – France
Igor Petryanov – Russia
1985 Peter Medawar – UK
1986 Nicolai G. Basov – Russia
David Suzuki – Canada
1987 Marcel Roche – Venezuela
1988 Björn Kurtén – Finland
1989 Saad Ahmed Shabaan – Egypt
1990 Misbah-Ud-Din Shami – Pakistan
1991 Radu Iftimovici – Romania
Narender K. Sehgal – India
1992 Jorge Flores Valdés (es) – Mexico
Peter Okebukola – Nigeria
1993 Piero Angela – Italy
1994 Nikolai N. Drozdov – Russia
1995 Julieta Fierro Gossman – Mexico
1996 Jiří Grygar – Czech Republic
Jayant V. Narlikar – India
1997 Dorairajan Balasubramanian – India
1998 Regina Paz Lopez – Philippines
Ennio Candotti – Brazil
1999 Marian Addy – Ghana
Emil Gabrielian – Armenia
2000 Ernst W. Hamburger – Brazil
2001 Stefano Fantoni – Italy
2002 Marisela Salvatierra – Venezuela
2003 Pervez Hoodbhoy – Pakistan
2004 Jean Audouze – France
2005 Jeter BertolettiJeter Bertoletti (pt) – Brazil
2006–2008 No awards due to change of UNESCO rules
2009 Yash Pal – India
Trinh Xuan Thuan – USA-Vietnam
2010 Gokulananda Mohapatra – India
2011 René Raúl Drucker Colín (es) – Mexico
2012 Basanta Kumar Behura – India[2]
2013 Prof. Xiangyi Li – China
2014 Prof. Trilochan Pradhan – India
2015 Prof. Diego Golombek – Argentina