On the evening of April 15, the King Faisal Prize Foundation hosted its 48th ceremony in Riyadh, honouring seven laureates from across the globe whose contributions have advanced science, medicine, Islamic scholarship, and Arabic literature. The event carried special significance this year, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the King Faisal Foundation \u2014 established in 1976 and launching its prize in 1979.<\/p>\n
HRH Prince Turki Alfaisal, Acting Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Prize Secretary General Dr. Abdulaziz Alsebail presided over the evening, which drew international attention as Saudi Arabia once again positioned itself as a patron of global intellectual achievement.<\/p>\n
The King Faisal Prize in Medicine was awarded to Professor Svetlana Mojsov of Rockefeller University, whose foundational research on glucagon-like peptide-1 \u2014 the GLP-1 hormone \u2014 laid the biological groundwork for the development of Ozempic, Victoza, and Rybelsus. These drugs have transformed the treatment of obesity and diabetes worldwide.<\/p>\n
Mojsov identified GLP-1’s biologically active form and demonstrated its ability to stimulate insulin secretion, slow digestion, and reduce appetite. She is listed as co-inventor on the patents licensed to Novo Nordisk. In 2024, Time magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. Accepting the award, she reflected: “Twenty-five years after we published our findings, Novo Nordisk developed long-lasting GLP-1 analogs. I am humbled that my work from forty years ago has benefited the health and lives of millions of people worldwide.”<\/p>\n
The Science Prize in Mathematics went to Professor Carlos Kenig of the University of Chicago, celebrated for his work on nonlinear partial differential equations \u2014 the mathematical language that governs ocean waves, fiber optics, fluid mechanics, and medical imaging. Kenig’s research on wave behavior and free boundary problems has resolved some of the most difficult open questions in modern mathematical analysis, reshaping the field entirely.<\/p>\n
Kenig described his passion for mathematics as beginning at the age of twelve, when a high school geometry lesson first introduced him to its logical structure. His subsequent studies at the University of Chicago and postdoctoral work at Princeton shaped a career recognised with the Salem Prize, the B\u00f4cher Prize, and three invitations to address the International Congress of Mathematicians.<\/p>\n
The prize for Arabic Language and Literature honoured Professor Pierre Larcher of Aix-Marseille University for his work on “Arabic Literature in French,” bringing the richness of classical Arabic texts \u2014 including pre-Islamic poetry and al-Mu’allaqat \u2014 to French readers with academic rigour and cultural sensitivity.<\/p>\n
In the field of Islamic Studies, the focus this year was on “Islamic Trade Routes.” The prize was shared between Professor Abdelhamid Hussein Hammouda and Professor Mohamed Waheeb Hussein, whose research spans trade corridors from the Arabian Peninsula to al-Andalus, using GPS documentation and archaeological surveys. The Service to Islam prize was awarded jointly to Sheikh Abdullatif bin Ahmed Alfozan of Saudi Arabia and Professor Mohamed Aboumousa of Egypt.<\/p>\n
Each laureate received a USD 200,000 prize, a 24-carat gold medal weighing 200 grams, and a certificate summarising their contributions. Since its founding, the prize has honoured 308 laureates from 45 countries \u2014 a record that reflects Saudi Arabia’s sustained commitment to supporting human advancement across borders, disciplines, and cultures. As the King Faisal Foundation marks its golden jubilee, the Kingdom reaffirms its place as a global home for excellence in science, faith, and the humanities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On the evening of April 15, the King Faisal Prize Foundation hosted its 48th ceremony in Riyadh, honouring seven laureates from across the globe whose contributions have advanced science, medicine, Islamic scholarship, and Arabic literature. The event carried special significance this year, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the King Faisal Foundation \u2014 established in 1976 and launching its prize in 1979. HRH Prince Turki Alfaisal, Acting Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Prize Secretary General Dr. Abdulaziz Alsebail presided over the evening, which drew international attention as Saudi Arabia once again positioned itself as a patron of global<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54632,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"King Faisal Prize 2026","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Saudi Arabia hosted the King Faisal Prize 2026 ceremony in Riyadh, celebrating laureates in medicine, mathematics, Islamic studies,","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[224],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kingdom"],"yoast_head":"\n