Breakthrough Prize Marks 5th Anniversary Celebrating Top Achievements In Science And Awards More Than $25 Million In Prizes At Gala Ceremony In Silicon Valley - Seite 3

"Science is universal," said Yuri Milner. "Tonight it brought together some of the world's greatest actors, sportsmen, musicians, academics, entrepreneurs, astronauts and, last but not least, scientists, to celebrate what the human mind can achieve. And it brought in a live audience from across the planet."

One of the highlights will be the speeches by the two female students who won the Breakthrough Junior Challenge, Antonella Masini, 18 (Peru) and Deanna See, 17 (Singapore). The Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a global science video competition designed to inspire creative thinking about fundamental concepts in the life sciences, physics, or mathematics. In recognition of their winning submissions, both students received up to $400,000 in educational prizes, including a scholarship worth up to $250,000, $50,000 for an inspiring teacher, and a state-of-the-art science lab valued at $100,000.

Entries from 146 countries were received in the 2016 installment of the global competition, which kicked off on September 1, 2016. The Breakthrough Junior Challenge is funded by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, and Yuri and Julia Milner, through the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, based on a grant from Mark Zuckerberg's fund at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and a grant from the Milner Global Foundation.

"The Breakthrough Junior Challenge encourages students to better understand the worlds of science and mathematics and to have some fun along the way," said Breakthrough Prize co-founder Dr. Priscilla Chan. "Antonella and Deanna both have bright futures in science and I am so excited to honor their work. They are also incredible storytellers, whose ability to capture these complex ideas in accessible and exciting ways is truly inspiring. I cannot wait to see how they will change the world."

In addition, six New Horizons prizes – an annual prize of $100,000 each, recognizing the achievements of early-career physicists and mathematicians – were awarded.

The New Horizons in Physics Prize was awarded to:

• Asimina Arvanitaki (Perimeter Institute, Ontario), Peter W. Graham (Stanford University) and Surjeet Rajendran (University of California, Berkeley)
• Simone Giombi (Princeton University) and Xi Yin (Harvard)
• Frans Pretorius (Princeton University)

The New Horizons in Mathematics Prize was awarded to: