Balzan Prizes 2026 awarded, Italian researcher Elena Esposito among winners

The Balzan Foundation announced the winners of its 2026 prizes in the evening in Milan. The foundation was founded in 1957 in Lugano, in memory of Eugenio Balzan: a journalist and administrator of the Corriere della Sera, an antifascist who went into exile in Switzerland and died on the shores of Lake Lugano four years before the foundation was created.

Among the four awards given this year, one went to Italian researcher Elena Esposito, of the University of Bologna, for her work on the social science of digital technology.

In the field of Jewish studies, the prize went to American scholar David Nirenberg. In the scientific fields, Danish researcher Rasmus Nielsen and British researcher Zïheng Yang were recognised for their research on molecular evolution, focused on decoding recurring patterns of genomic change. American researchers Marc Hillmyer and Geoffrey Coates received the prize for their work on biodegradable polymers from renewable sources.

Among the richest prizes in the world

Each Balzan Prize is worth 750,000 francs, making it one of the richest scientific and cultural awards after the Nobel Prizes. Half of this sum must be dedicated by the winners to research projects carried out by young scholars. The award ceremony will take place on 19 November in Rome.

The foundation also announced the subjects for the 2027 prizes: the dynamics of Earth's depths and their role in plate tectonics and surface processes, the plant immune system and its role in resistance to pathogens, European constitutionalism, and the history of modern and contemporary architecture.

Alongside these academic awards, the foundation also gave this year its Prize for Humanity, Peace and Fraternity among Peoples. It went to the Sudanese organisation Emergency Response Rooms, a network of aid centres that has helped fill the gap left by the collapse of state institutions and the difficulties in accessing international aid.