Press release

Inamori Foundation Names U.S. Emeritus Professors, French Stage Director, to Receive 2019 Kyoto Prizes

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The Inamori Foundation has announced the 2019 recipients of its Kyoto
Prize, Japan’s highest private award for global achievement, in the
categories of Advanced Technology, Basic Sciences, and Arts and
Philosophy. See details and photos at: https://www.inamori-f.or.jp/en/media/.

Each laureate will receive a diploma, a 20-karat gold medal, and a
monetary award of 100 million yen (about US$920,000) during the 35th
annual Kyoto Prize presentation ceremony, Nov. 10, 2019, at Japan’s
Kyoto International Conference Center. The laureates will give
commemorative lectures on Nov. 11 and workshops Nov. 12 before
reconvening for the 19th annual Kyoto Prize Symposium in San
Diego, Calif., March 17-19, 2020, and Kyoto Prize at Oxford events in
Oxford, UK, May 12-13, 2020.

The 2019 Kyoto Prize Laureates

In Advanced Technology, the 2019 Kyoto Prize laureate is chemist Ching
W. Tang, Ph.D.
, Professor Emeritus, University of Rochester, and IAS
Bank of East Asia Professor at The Hong Kong University of Science and
Technology. Dr. Tang has studied light-emission processes in
electrically-driven organic materials, and invented a new device
structure that facilitates high-efficiency light emission at low drive
voltages. This pioneering work has led to the practical use of organic
light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and their widespread application in
electronic displays and lighting.

In Basic Sciences, the 2019 Kyoto Prize laureate is
astrophysicist James
Gunn, Ph.D.
, Emeritus Eugene Higgins Professor of Astrophysical
Sciences at Princeton University. Dr. Gunn’s pioneering achievements
include his work with the Sloan
Digital Sky Survey
, which has produced a three-dimensional digital
cosmic map. He has played a leading role in the entire project,
including its planning, instrument development and data analysis,
contributing to the elucidation of the evolutionary history of the
universe.

In Arts and Philosophy, the 2019 Kyoto Prize laureate is Ms.
Ariane Mnouchkine,
a stage director who has innovated new theatrical
expressions through original masterpieces for over half a century, as
founder and director of Paris-based Théâtre
du Soleil
. Referring to traditional performances of both the East
and West, she has been innovating theatrical expressions through her
collaborative creations based on the methodology of her unique
theatrical organization, which eschews hierarchical order.

About the Inamori
Foundation
and the Kyoto
Prize

The Kyoto Prize is an international award bestowed by the non-profit
Inamori Foundation to honor those who have contributed significantly to
the scientific, cultural, and spiritual betterment of humankind. The
Foundation was established in 1984 by Dr. Kazuo Inamori, founder and
chairman emeritus of Kyocera Corporation; founder and honorary adviser
to KDDI Corporation; and chairman emeritus and honorary adviser to Japan
Airlines. Inamori created the Kyoto Prize in 1985, in line with his
belief that human beings have no higher calling than to strive for the
greater good of society, and that the future of humanity can be assured
only when there is a balance between our scientific progress and our
spiritual depth.

Counting the 2019 recipients, the prize has honored 112 laureates — 111
individuals and one group (the Nobel Foundation) — collectively
representing 17 nations. Individual laureates range from scientists,
engineers and researchers to philosophers, painters, architects,
sculptors, musicians and film directors. The United States has produced
the most recipients (50), followed by Japan (23), the United Kingdom
(12), and France (9). More information can be found at http://www.inamori-f.or.jp/index_e.html.