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Prizes

The Vilcek Foundation champions the inclusion of diverse perspectives for the advancement of the arts and sciences. We celebrate and invest in immigrant artists and scientists at every stage of their careers.

The Vilcek Foundation Prizes were established in 2006. Since then, we have awarded over $5.1 million to immigrants from 54 different countries.

123

Total prizewinners

Countries represented

$5.1M

Awarded

Vilcek Prizes

The Vilcek Prizes are awarded to immigrants with a legacy of major accomplishment in the biomedical sciences and the arts and humanities, including: literature, culinary arts, music, filmmaking, architecture, dance, design, fashion, theatre, and visual arts. The Vilcek Prize includes a $100,000 cash award.

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Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise

The Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise are awarded to emerging to mid-career immigrant professionals in the biomedical sciences and the arts and humanities who have demonstrated outstanding achievement early in their careers. The Creative Promise Prize includes a $50,000 cash award.

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Vilcek Prize for Excellence

The Vilcek Prize for Excellence is awarded to immigrants who have had a profound impact on American society and world culture, or to individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to immigrant causes. The Vilcek Prize for Excellence includes a $100,000 cash award.

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Grants for Organizations

The Vilcek Foundation supports the work of a small number of 501(c)(3) cultural and educational institutions in the United States for programs and initiatives that complement the Foundation’s mission.

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Meet our 2020 Vilcek Foundation Prizewinners

Chinese-born Xiaowei Zhuang receives the Vilcek Prize for developing super-resolution microscopy and genome-scale imaging to visualize molecules in cells.

Author Edwidge Danticat, born in Haiti, receives the Vilcek Prize for dazzling prose and genre-spanning work that explores the Haitian diaspora.

Judge Katzmann receives the Vilcek Prize for Excellence for his public service career and broadening access to legal representation for immigrants in need.

Creative Promise Prizewinner Kıvanç Birsoy, born in Turkey, develops cutting-edge tools to unravel the metabolism of cancer cells and targets for treatment.

Creative Promise Prizewinner Viviana Gradinaru, born in Romania, develops tools in optogenetics and gene delivery, with potential therapeutic applications in human diseases.

French-born Martin Jonikas, Creative Promise Prizewinner, studies photosynthetic organisms and works to improve food-crop yield and combat climate change.

Yaa Gyasi, born in Ghana, receives the Creative Promise Prize for deeply engaging writing and relentless examination of injustices of the past and present.

Valeria Luiselli, born in Mexico, receives the Creative Promise Prize for intelligent fiction and nonfiction that interrogates the U.S. immigration system.

Jenny Xie, born in China, receives the Creative Promise Prize for a unique poetic voice that examines the essence of perspective and selfhood through an evocative lens.

Vilcek Foundation