When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.Sergey Brin and Gerelyn Gilbert-Soto speak onstage during the 12th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at Barker Hangar on April 18, 2026 in Santa Monica, California. | Credit: Lester Cohen/Getty Images for Breakthrough PrizeThe 2026 Breakthrough Prize winners were announced Saturday (April 18) as the red carpet opened at the annual gala in Los Angeles, a globally broadcast ceremony often dubbed the “Oscars of Science,” where celebrities and tech leaders mingle with researchers to celebrate major scientific advances.Six mainstage prizes — each worth $3 million — were awarded across life sciences, fundamental physics and mathematics, along with a special prize for lifetime achievement. This year’s honors recognize breakthroughs ranging from gene therapies and neurodegenerative disease to precision particle physics and the mathematics of complex systems, according to a statement from the non-profit organization.AdvertisementAdvertisement”This year’s laureates show what great science can do — deepen our understanding of the world and lead to discoveries that improve millions of lives,” Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, founders of the nonprofit research organization called Biohub, said in the statement. “We’re proud to recognize their work.”In life sciences, Jean Bennett, Katherine A. High and Albert Maguire were recognized for developing the first FDA-approved gene therapy for an inherited disease. Their work led to a treatment for retinal degeneration that restores functional vision, marking a turning point for genetic medicine and helping spark a wave of similar therapies now in development.Another life sciences prize went to Stuart H. Orkin and Swee Lay Thein for uncovering how the body switches from fetal to adult hemoglobin. By identifying a key genetic regulator, their work enabled new gene-editing therapies for sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia — conditions affecting millions worldwide — demonstrating how fundamental biology can translate into transformative treatments.A third Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences honors Rosa Rademakers and Bryan Traynor, who discovered that a mutation in the C9orf72 gene is a major cause of both amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), the second leading cause of early-onset dementia. The finding unified two previously separate diseases and opened new avenues for diagnosis and targeted therapies.AdvertisementAdvertisementIn mathematics, Frank Merle is honored for breakthroughs in nonlinear evolution equations, which describe waves and complex systems such as turbulence and plasmas. His work sheds light on how these systems remain stable or develop singularities, advancing understanding of phenomena that span aeronautics, fluid dynamics and astrophysics.The Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics recognizes the Muon g-2 collaborations at CERN, Brookhaven National Laboratory and Fermilab, along with hundreds of scientists including David Hertzog, Chris Polly, Lee Roberts and William Morse. T …
