Winners list unveiled for Xplorer Prize honoring young scientists

BEIJING - A list of 50 winners was unveiled Friday for the 2019 Xplorer Prize that honors young scientists working full time on the Chinese mainland.

Each winner will be awarded a total of 3 million yuan (about $423,000) over the next five years by the Tencent Foundation, according to a Tencent statement.

The award ceremony of the Xplorer Prize, which is being awarded for the first time this year, is set for Nov 2 in Beijing, the statement said.

The Xplorer Prize was jointly initiated by Tencent Chairman and CEO Pony Ma and 14 scientists in 2018 to support full-time Chinese mainland-based scientists under age of 45 in areas of fundamental science and cutting-edge technologies.

The 50 winners were selected from more than 1,300 entries following a four-step evaluation process, including preliminary screening, preliminary evaluation and review of applications, a final evaluation and applicants' defense, according to the prize's management committee.

To ensure the credibility and fairness of the prize, the evaluation process had the support of more than 350 experts in various areas, the Tencent statement said.

More than 100 academicians with the Chinese Academy of Sciences or the Chinese Academy of Engineering contributed to the nomination, recommendation of candidates and evaluation of entries, it added.

The 50 winners were from 26 organizations across China, including research institutions, universities and an enterprise. Nine of them were under the age of 35.

It is the prize management committee's hope that the prize will inspire young scientists to devote themselves to exploring the unknown world and attract more young people to engage in fundamental science and cutting-edge technology research, according to the statement.