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      The Vilcek Foundation Prizes are awarded to foreign-born individuals for extraordinary achievement in the arts and sciences.

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      Learn more about the Vilcek Foundation Prizes and the prizewinners.

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      Awarded to immigrants with a legacy of major accomplishments.

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Home > News > Announcing the 2021 Vilcek Foundation Prizewinners

Announcing the 2021 Vilcek Foundation Prizewinners

News | September 7, 2020
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2021 VFP biomedical science film immigration public service
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The Vilcek Foundation has announced the recipients of the 2021 Vilcek Foundation Prizes. Awarded annually, the Vilcek Prizes and Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise honor the outstanding contributions of immigrants in the sciences and the arts.

The work of the prizewinners supports a greater understanding of our world and offers opportunities for further discovery and exploration. The Vilcek Prize for Excellence—introduced in 2019—is awarded to immigrants who have had a significant impact on culture and society, or to individuals who are dedicated champions of immigrant causes in the United States.

The recipients of the 2021 Vilcek Foundation Prizes have profoundly enriched scientific research and discovery, and contributed their vision and storytelling expertise to filmmaking in the United States. The Vilcek Prize for Excellence—awarded this year in Public Service—honors innovative ideas with the power to shift civic engagement and economics in our society.

Congratulations to all of this year’s recipients!

 

Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science

Portrait of Ruth Lehmann

Ruth Lehmann

Professor of biology; director, Whitehead Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Born in Germany

Ruth Lehmann receives the Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science for unraveling the molecular basis by which germ cells, which give rise to sperm and egg cells, are formed.

 

Vilcek Prize in Filmmaking

Portrait of Rodrigo Prieto

Rodrigo Prieto

Cinematographer

Born in Mexico

Rodrigo Prieto receives the Vilcek Prize in Filmmaking for his virtuosity and versatility—the sheer excellence and inventiveness of his work across styles and genres—and his central role in creating some of contemporary cinema’s most indelible works.

 

Vilcek Prize for Excellence in Public Service

Portrait of Andrew Yang

Andrew Yang

Entrepreneur, author, and nonprofit leader

Born in the United States to Taiwanese immigrants

Andrew Yang receives the Vilcek Prize for Excellence in Public Service in recognition of his leadership in advancing ideas addressing issues ranging from wealth inequality, to understanding how corporations use individuals’ personal data, to autism and American families.

 

Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science

Portrait of Mohamed Abou Donia

Mohamed Abou Donia

Associate professor, Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University

Born in Egypt

Mohamed Abou Donia receives the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science for demonstrating the potential of the human microbiome as a source of novel drugs and uncovering the basis of microbiome-driven drug metabolism.

 

Portrait of Ibrahim Cissé

Ibrahim Cissé

Associate professor, Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Born in Niger

Ibrahim Cissé receives the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science for using super-resolution biological imaging to directly visualize the dynamic nature of gene expression in living cells.

 

Portrait of Silvi Rouskin

Silvi Rouskin

Andria and Paul Heafy Whitehead Fellow, the Whitehead Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Born in Bulgaria

Silvi Rouskin receives the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science for developing methods to unravel the shapes of RNA molecules inside cells and aiding the potential development of RNA-based therapeutics.

 

Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Filmmaking

Portrait of Juan Pablo González

Juan Pablo González

Filmmaker, artist, educator

Born in Mexico

Juan Pablo González receives the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Filmmaking for the artistic rigor and deep emotional engagement that he brings to his immersive and intimate explorations of his hometown in rural Mexico.

 

Portrait of Miko Revereza

Miko Revereza

Experimental filmmaker

Born in the Philippines

Miko Revereza receives the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Filmmaking for the ingenuity and urgency with which he bridges the personal and the political, in works that challenge us to rethink aspects of both documentary filmmaking and the immigrant experience.

 

Portrait of Nanfu Wang

Nanfu Wang

Documentary filmmaker

Born in China

Nanfu Wang receives the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Filmmaking for the impact and courage of her riveting documentaries, which are lucid and unflinching in confronting the consequences of systemic oppression and corruption in China.


The Vilcek Foundation raises awareness of immigrant contributions in the United States. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit private operating foundation, the Vilcek Foundation does not engage in political campaign activity, and this is not an endorsement of any candidate or campaign.

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2021 VFP biomedical science film immigration public service
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March 15, 2021

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Ruth Lehmann: “There’s always another question… there’s always more to find out”

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Rodrigo Prieto

Rodrigo Prieto receives the Vilcek Prize in Filmmaking for his virtuosity and versatility—the sheer excellence and inventiveness of his work across styles and genres—and his central role in creating some of contemporary cinema’s most indelible works.
Portrait of Rodrigo Prieto

Andrew Yang

Andrew Yang receives the Vilcek Prize for Excellence in Public Service in recognition of his leadership in advancing ideas addressing issues ranging from wealth inequality, to understanding how corporations use individuals’ personal data, to autism and American families.
Portrait of Andrew Yang

Ruth Lehmann

Ruth Lehmann receives the Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science for unraveling the molecular basis by which germ cells, which give rise to sperm and egg cells, are formed.
Portrait of Ruth Lehmann

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