King Faisal International Prize

Launched by the King Faisal Foundation (KFF) and granted for the first time in 1979, the King Faisal International Prize (KFIP) recognizes the outstanding works of individuals and institutions in five major categories: Service to Islam, Islamic Studies, Arabic Language and Literature, Medicine, and Science. Its aim is to benefit Muslims in their present and future, inspire them to participate in all aspects of civilization, as well as enrich human knowledge and develop mankind. KFIP winners are evaluated only based on merit and their works are meticulously examined by specialized selection committees. The strict selection procedure meets international standards, and many of the laureates who have been awarded the prize went on to receive other prestigious prizes, such as the Nobel Prize. click for more>>

2017 Award Ceremony

Click here to watch the whole ceremony

2017 Winners

service to islam

King-Salman-bin-Abdulaziz-Al-Saud-150x150

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
(Saudi Arabia)

islamic studies

Professor Ridwan Al-Sayyid
(Lebanon)

Muslim Political Thought Up To The 9th Century H./15th Century G.

arabic language and literature

Arabic-Language-Academy-of-Jordan-200x200

Arabic Language Academy of Jordan
(Jordan)

Efforts of Individuals and Institutions to Arabicize Science and Technology for Transfer: Research and Educational Purposes

medicine

Professor Tadamitsu Kishimoto
(Japan)

Biologic Therapeutics in Autoimmune Diseases

science

Professor Laurens Molenkamp
(Netherlands)
and
Professor-Daniel-Loss-162x162-150x150

Professor Daniel Loss
(Switzerland)

Physics

2018 Prize Topics

service to islam

islamic studies

Critical Editions of Islamic Historical and Biographical Texts

arabic language and literature

Studies Dealing with Autobiography in Arabic Literature

medicine

Immunotherapy
for Cancer

science

Mathematics

In The Words of Prince Khalid Alfaisal
Chairman, King Faisal International Prize Board

The greatness of a nation is not measured by the size of its material possessions, but by its role in the progress of mankind. The Islamic nation has established its prominent place in history not through its material resources, but through its vast contributions to the present civilization.
Similarly, the greatness of an individual is not the result of noble descent, but of accomplishments and purpose in life. These were the principles for which Faisal bin Abd Al-Aziz lived, and for which he was martyred. Not only was he a great monarch but also a great missionary of justice and peace, a man of purpose, intellect and passion.
The establishment of the King Faisal Foundation, and the inception of the King Faisal International Prize as one of the Foundation’s projects, drew from the humanitarian and noble values of Islam, which King Faisal held throughout his life. The prize seeks to realize some of his aspirations for the progress of mankind, and particularly his desire to emphasize the role of Arabs and Muslims towards that progress.
The prize was inaugurated 36 years ago, initially in three fields: Service to Islam, Islamic Studies and Arabic Literature. Two additional prizes, Medicine and Science, soon followed.

At a Glance

> Click on location points to learn more about winners' nationalities

Netherlands

2 1

China

Canada

5 3

United States of America

1 25 23

Great Britain

1 1 12 11

France

1 1 1 4

Germany

1 3 5

Denmark

Sweden

Italy

Hungary

Bosnia

Malaysia

Philippines

Palestine

1 1

Niger

Senegal

Nigeria

South Africa

Lebanon

1 1 2

Sudan

1 2 1

Egypt

5 7 22

Saudi Arabia

14 7 3

Pakistan

Afghanistan

Kuwait

2 1

United Emirates

Russia

1 2

Austria

Australia

2 1

India

2 2 1

Japan

3 2

Switzerland

2 3

Algeria

Tunisia

Jordan

1 4

Syria

2 3

Morocco

2 6

Iraq

4 2

Qatar

Bangladesh

Indonesia

Turkey

1 2

Laureates Also Won

Winner	KFIP	Nobel Prize
Professor Gerd Binnig	1984	1986
Professor Heinrich Rohrer	1984	1986
Professor Robert G. Edwards	1989	2010
Professor Theodore W. Hanch	1989	2005
Professor Ahmed H. Zewail	1989	1999
Professor Sydney Brenner	1992	2002
Professor Luc Montagnier	1993	2008
Professor Francoise Barre Sinoussi	1993	2008
Professor Steven Chu	1993	1997
Professor K. Barry Sharpless	1995	2001
Professor Gunter Blobel	1996	1999
Professor James E. Rothman	1996	2013
Professor Carl E. Wieman	1997	2001
Professor Eric Allin Cornell	1997	2001
Professor Ryoji Noyori	1999	2001
Professor Frank Wilczek	2005	2004
Professor Shinya Yamanaka	2011	2012
Professor James Fraser Stoddart	2007	2016

Winner	KFIP	Gairdner Foundation International Awards
Professor Alexander J. Varshavsky	2012	1999
Professor Luc Montagnier	1993	1987
Professor Jeffrey M. Friedman	2013	2005
Professor Douglas L. Coleman	2013	2005
Professor Tak W. Mak	1995	1989
Professor Mark M.Davis	1995	1989
Professor Shinya Yamanaka	2011	2009
Professor Janet D. Rowley	1988	1996
Professor Gunter Blobel	1996	1982
Professor Raymond U. Lemieux	1990	1985
Professor Pierre Chambon	1988	2010
Professor Sir Michael J. Berridge	1986	1988
Professor Sir Gregory P. Winte	1995	2013

Winner	KFIP	American National Medal of Science
Professor George M. Whitesides	2011	1998
Professor Richard Zare	2011	1983
Professor Thomas Starzl	2001	2004
Professor Edward O.Wilson	2000	1976
Professor M. Fredrick Hawthorne	2003	2011
Professor Janet D. Rowley	1988	1998
Professor Frank A. Cotton	1990	1982
Professor Dennis P. Sullivan	1994	2004
Professor John Craig Venter	2000	2008
Professor Chen Ning Yang	2001	1986
Professor Mustafa Amr El Sayed	1990	2007

Winner	KFIP	Lasker Basic Medical Research Award
Professor Alexander J. Varshavsky	2012	2000
Professor Sydney Brenner	1992	1971
Professor Shinya Yamanaka	2011	2009
Professor Jeffrey M. Friedman	2013	2010
Professor Douglas L. Coleman	2013	2010
Professor Pierre Chambon	1988	2004
Professor James E. Rothman	1996	2002
Professor Gunter Blobel	1996	1993
Professor Sir Michael J. Berridge	1986	1989

Winner	KFIP	British Royal Medals
Professor Sydney Brenner	1992	1974
Professor Sir Richard Doll	2005	1986
Professor Sir Michael J. Berridge	1986	1991
Professor Simon Kirwan Donaldson	2006	1992
Professor Ricardo Miledi	1988	1998
Professor Sir Richard Peto	2005	2002
Professor Terence Chi-Shen Tao	2010	2014
Professor Sir Gregory P. Winter	1995	2011

Winner	KFIP	Fields Medal in Mathematics
Professor Simon Kirwan Donaldson	2006	1986
Professor Terence Chi-Shen Tao	2010	2006
Professor Gerd Faltings	2014	1986
Professor Enrico Bombieri	2010	1974
Professor Sir Michael Atiyah	1987	1966

Winner	KFIP	Louis Jenteat Prize in Medicine
Professor Hugh R. Pelham	1996	1991
Professor Pierre Chambon	1988	1991
Professor Sir Gregory P. Winter	1995	1989
Professor Luc Montagnier	1993	1986
Professor Sir Michael J. Berridge	1986	1986
Professor Sir Richard Peto	2005	1997
Professor Sydney Brenner	1992	1987

Winner	KFIP	Shaw Prize
Professor Jeffrey M. Friedman	2013	2009
Professor Simon Kirwan Donaldson	2006	2009
Professor Douglas L. Coleman	2013	2009
Professor Shinya Yamanaka	2011	2008
Professor Andrew J. Wiles	1998	2005

Winner	KFIP	Welch Foundation Prize in Chemistry
Professor Frank A. Cotton	1990	1994
Professor Koji Nakanishi	2003	1996
Professor Ahmed H. Zewail	1989	1997
Professor Pierre Chambon	1988	1998
Professor Richard Zare	2011	1999
Professor George M. Whitesides	2011	2005

Winner	KFIP	Principe De Asturias Prize
Professor Luc Montagnier	1993	2000
Professor George M. Whitesides	2011	2008
Professor Ricardo Miledi	1988	1999
Professor Sir Gregory P. Winter	1995	2012

Winner	KFIP	The Crafoord Prize Medal
Professor Edward O.Wilson	2000	1990
Professor Rashid A. Sunyaev	2009	2008
Professor Simon Kirwan Donaldson	2006	1994
Professor Terence Chi-Shen Tao	2010	2012

Winner	KFIP	Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biomedicine
Professor Richard Zare	2011	2009
Professor Shinya Yamanaka	2011	2010
Professor Jeffrey M. Friedman	2013	2012
Professor Alexander J. Varshavsky	2012	2011

Winner	KFIP	Gottfried Wilhelm Liebnitz Prize
Professor Gerd Faltings	2014	1996
Professor Ferenc Krausz	2013	2006
Professor Theodore W. Hanch	1989	1988
Professor Laurens Molenkamp	2017	2014

Winner	KFIP	Marcel Benoist Prize
Professor Dieter Seebach	1999	2000
Professor Rudiger Wehner	2008	2002
Professor Michael Grätzel	2015	2013
Professor Daniel Loss	2017	2010

Winner	KFIP	Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Awards
Professor Janet D. Rowley	1988	1998
Professor Luc Montagnier	1993	1986
Professor Robert G. Edwards	1989	2001

Winner	KFIP	Lorentz Gold Medal
Professor Frank Wilczek	2005	2002
Professor Eric Allin Cornell	1997	1998
Professor Carl E. Wieman	1997	1998

Winner	KFIP	Kyoto Prize
Professor Shinya Yamanaka	2011	2010
Professor George M. Whitesides	2011	2003

Winner	KFIP	Abel Prisen
Professor Sir Michael Atiyah	1987	2004
Professor Andrew J. Wiles	1998	2016

Winner	KFIP	Albert Einstein Medal
Professor Chen Ning Yang	2001	1995

Winner	KFIP	Copley Medal of the Royal Society
Professor Sir Michael Atiyah	1987	1988
Professor Sydney Brenner	1992	1991

Winner	KFIP	Benjamin Franklin Medal
Professor Sir Michael Atiyah	1987	1993
Professor Edward O.Wilson	2000	1998

Winner	KFIP	Dirac Medal in Physics
Professor Frank Wilczek	2005	1994

Winner	KFIP	Edison Medal
Professor Federico Capasso	2005	2004

Winner	KFIP	Bower Prize
Professor Chen Ning Yang	2001	1994

Winner	KFIP	Pulitzer Prize
Professor Edward O.Wilson	2000	1979

Winner	KFIP	Nevanlinna Prize in Mathematics
Professor Peter W. Shor	2002	1998

18 Nobel Prize

13 Gairdner Foundation International Awards

11 American National Medals of Science

9 Lasker Basic Medical Research Award

8 British Royal Medals

5 Fields Medals in Mathematics

4 Principe De Asturias Prize
5 Shaw Prize
2 Abel Prisen
4 Gottfried Wilhelm Liebnitz Prize
1 Dirac Medal in Physics
1 Edison Prize
1 Bower Prize
4 The Crafoord Prize Medal
2 Copley Medal of the Royal Society
2 Benjamin Franklin Medal
3 Lorentz Gold Medal
4 Marcel Benoist Prize
2 Kyoto Prize
6 Welch Foundation Prize in Chemistry
1 Pulitzer Prize
1 Albert Einstein Medal
7 Louis Jenteat Prize in Medicine
1 Nevanlinna Prize in Mathematics
4 Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biomedicine

Across The Years

The early years of the King Faisal International Prize, from left to right, Prince Khalid Alfaisal, Prince Abdallah Alfaisal, King Fahad Bin Abd Al-Aziz, Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz.

The King Faisal International Prize, in cooperation with The Royal Society, held a Symposium in London entitled “ Science and Medicine in the 21st Century- A Global Perspective”. The event celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Science and Medicine Prizes. The photograph shows the previous winners of this prize.

30th anniversary of the King Faisal International Prize, where all previous winners were invited to attend.

Professor Fuat M. Sezgin, winner of the King Faisal International Prize in Islamic Studies, 1979 (1399H)

Shaikh Sayyid Abul A’la Al-Mawdodi, winner of the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam, 1979 (1399H)

H.M. King Khaled Bin Abd Al-Aziz, the first King to receive the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam, 1981 (1401H)

Professor David C. Morley, the first winner of the King Faisal International Prize in Medicine, 1982 (1402H)

Professor Sir Michael J. Berridge, one of the first winners of the King Faisal International prize in Science, 1986 (1406H)

King Fahad Bin Abd Al-Aziz awards the 1987 (1407H) King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam to Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi. The distinguished laureate is Nigeria’s Grand Mufti and Supreme Advisor on Islamic Affairs.

Professor Janet D. Rawley, co-winner of the King Faisal International Prize in Medicine, and the first female winner, 1988 (1408H)

Professor Ahmed H. Zewail, co-winner of the King Faisal International Prize in Science, 1989 (1409H)

Dr. Francois Barré-Sinoussi, co-winner of the King Faisal International Prize in Medicine, 1993 (1413H)

President Alija Izetbegoviç, winner of the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam, 1993 (1413H)

Professor Aisha Abd Al-Rahman, co-winner of the King Faisal International Prize in Arabic Language and Literature, 1994 (1414H)

Professor Wadad A. Kadi, co-winner of the King Faisal International Prize in Arabic Language and Literature, 1994 (1414H)

Mrs. Salma L. Al-Kowzbari, co-winner of the King Faisal International Prize in Arabic Language and Literature, 1995 (1415H)

The King Faisal Foundation held, in cooperation with Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, a symposium entitled “Islam and the Arab Culture in the New World” in 1995 (1415H) and it was attended by many guests and previous winners of the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam, Islamic Studies, and Arabic Literature.

Hon. Dr. Mahathir bin Muhammad, winner of the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam, 1997 (1417H)

H.E. President Abdou Diouf, winner of the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam, 1998 (1418H)

Professor Makarim Ghamri, co-winner of the King Faisal International Prize in Arabic Language and Literature, 1999 (1419H)

A group photograph of the winners of the King Faisal International Prize in 2000 (1420H)

Professor Cynthia Kenyon of the King Faisal International Prize in Medicine, 2000 (1420H)

Professor Ibrahim Abd Al-Rahim Al Saafin, co-winner of the King Faisal International Prize in Arabic Language and Literature, 2001 (1421H)

Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud Foundation, winner of the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam, 2003 (1423H)

Professor Carol Hillenbrand, winner of the King Faisal International Prize in Islamic Studies, 2005 (1425H)

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abd Allah bin Abd Al-Aziz, winner of the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam, 2008 (1428H)

A group photograph of the winners of the King Faisal International prize in 2008 (1428H), amongst the winners is King Abd Allah Bin Abd-Aziz.

Professor Johanne Martel-Pelletier, co-winner of the King Faisal International Prize in Medicine, 2010 (1430H)

H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, winner of the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam, 2010 (1430H)

Professor Shinya Yamanaka, co-winner of the King Faisal International Prize in Medicine, 2011 (1431H), who went on to receive a Nobel Prize two years later.

Professor Alexander J. Varshavsky, winner of the King Faisal International Prize in Biology, 2012 (1432H)