Call for Nominations: UNESCO-Al Fozan International Prize for Young STEM Scientists
A Namibian educator who built a robotics programme for underserved youth, a nuclear physicist from Morocco working at the frontiers of particle physics or a climate scientist in China whose ocean research is reshaping what we know about global warming: These are the kinds of scientists the UNESCO-Al Fozan International Prize was created for — and nominations for the third edition are now open.
About the Prize
Established by UNESCO in 2021 in partnership with the Al Fozan Foundation in Saudi Arabia, the prize recognises young innovators whose work drives global socio-economic progress, while encouraging interest in science particularly among women and girls. It is awarded biennially to five laureates, one from each of UNESCO’s five geographic regions — Africa, the Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and North America, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Each laureate receives US $50,000, a medal, and a diploma. Eligible contributions span three areas: research in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) including emerging technologies; STEM education and dissemination of research findings; and international or regional cooperation in STEM. Candidates must be under 40.
Who has won before?
The 2025 laureates give a sense of the prize’s scope: Mounia Laassiri (Arab States) is a particle physicist at Brookhaven National Laboratory contributing to the ATLAS Experiment, who also organises the African School of Physics to build scientific networks across the continent. Lijing Cheng (Asia and the Pacific) has provided key scientific evidence on marine climate change as a basis for climate risk assessment and mitigation. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza (Latin America and the Caribbean) works on biodiversity in the Amazon, integrating scientific innovation with indigenous knowledge through multinational partnerships.
About the Al Fozan Foundation
The foundation is the philanthropic arm of Al Fozan Holding, one of Saudi Arabia’s leading family businesses, established in 1959. Its founder, Abdullah Al Fozan, is widely recognised as an innovator in Saudi Arabia’s non-profit sector, with initiatives spanning education, environment and health. The foundation proposed and funds the UNESCO prize as part of its commitment to advancing scientific knowledge globally.
Our UNESCO representatives — Kerstin Löffler, Dr. Sibylle von Heydebrand and Dr. Marilena Longobardi— in March 2026 at the United Nations’ Women’s Conference
Why IAW is involved
The International Alliance of Women has championed women’s equal rights since 1904 — and equal access to education and science has always been part of that mission. As an NGO in official partnership with UNESCO, IAW holds one of the highest accreditations available to civil society organisations at the UN level.
That status comes with a concrete benefit for our network: we are an eligible nominating body for this prize. If you know a young woman working in STEM whose contributions deserve wider recognition, we want to hear from you.
How to apply or nominate
Applications are submitted directly by candidates via the online portal. IAW can support nominations — if you would like to nominate someone through our organisation, please get in touch.
- Deadline: 30 November 2026 (midnight, UTC+1)
- Apply or nominate here
- Contact us
