The 2025 winners of the "XPLORER PRIZE" were unveiled on Aug 25, with 50 young scientists making the list. This year's cohort features a record nine female awardees and six who were born in the 1990s.
As one of the highest-value funding programs for young scientific talent in China, the prize focuses on supporting researchers in fundamental sciences and cutting-edge technologies. Each winner will receive a total of 3 million yuan over five years, with full freedom to allocate the funds. With this year's announcement, the prize has supported 347 young scientists over the past seven years.
Established in 2018, the prize is initiated by 14 distinguished scientists, including Chen-Ning Yang, Yi Rao, Jian-Wei Pan, Wen Gao, Yi-Gong Shi, and Xiaoliang Xie, alongside Pony Ma, founder of Tencent. It is operated by the New Cornerstone Science Foundation, which is backed by a 10-billion-yuan endowment from Tencent. The prize emphasizes scientist-led selection and is dedicated to advancing the public good.
“This year's awardees are truly outstanding. It is encouraging to see a group of young scientists dedicated to original breakthroughs, bold hypotheses, and thinking beyond conventional frameworks receiving support. They reflect the true 'value' of this award,” said Wen Gao, member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Boya Professor at Peking University, and Chair of the award’s management committee. "We look forward to their continued creativity and curiosity, and hope they embrace the mission of igniting change as the first spark in their fields."
Young scientists emerged as standout winners this year. Among the 50 awardees, 13 are young scientists (aged 35 or below for men, 38 or below for women), including six born in the 1990s. This marks a significant increase from the seven young scientists honored last year.
This rise is closely linked to this year’s introduction of the "Rising Star" nomination opportunity. In 2025, each field of award consideration reserved one such nomination specifically for young scientists, granted strictly based on merit.
Jian-Wei Pan, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Executive Vice President of the University of Science and Technology of China, and also Chair of the award's management committee, emphasized that the "Rising Star" opportunity aims to help more young scientists gain recognition. "Although a dedicated track was set up for young scientists, the principle of 'rather lacking than compromising quality' was strictly followed. All 13 young awardees have produced exceptional work," he stated.
Additionally, female representation reached a new high. This year, nine women were awarded, compared to seven last year, accounting for 18% of the total winners—a historic proportion for the award. Among them, three are young scientists.
The "XPLORER PRIZE" has consistently emphasized support for female researchers, considering their career development needs. The program prioritizes women and younger applicants under equal conditions. Last year, the award extended the age limit for female applicants (to 48 years old, compared to 45 for men). This year, a similar adjustment was made for the "Rising Star" track (38 for women, 35 for men). Efforts have also been made to increase the proportion of female jurors during the evaluation process.
"Women making up 18% of this year's winners is a record for the award," said Ning Yan, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Founding President of Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation, Director of Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, and Member of the award’s management committee. "This sends a powerful signal to young women pursuing research: if she can make it, so can I. The path has been walked—it is not out of reach."
"As China's scientific innovation evolves from imitation and learning to parallel and leading roles, only 'zero-to-one' breakthroughs can truly drive progress. Encouraging originality is crucial. By selecting the most original work and supporting the most original minds, the 'XPLORER PRIZE' sets a strong example," noted Jian-Wei Pan. He expressed hope that the new awardees will discover new scientific questions, pioneer new directions, and contribute significantly to the nation’s scientific advancement.
Source: China News Service, VOC
