2025 L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards

Created in 1998, the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards recognize and support eminent women in science throughout the world. Each year, five Laureates are recognized for their contributions to the advancement of science, in Life Sciences or Physical Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Science in alternating years.
The 2025 edition of the International Awards will designate five outstanding scientific researchers in the field of Physical Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Science, working in the following regions:

• Africa and the Arab States
• Asia and the Pacific
• Europe
• Latin America and the Caribbean
• North America

One candidate will be selected for each of the five regions, the determining factor being the place of work for at least 5 years, not the nationality of the candidate.
Each of the five Laureates will receive an Award of €100,000.

Eligibility Criteria

The candidate must:
- Be recognized for her scientific excellence by the international scientific community,
- Be actively involved in scientific research,
- Work in any of the scientific fields of Physical Sciences, Mathematics or Computer Science.
There is no age limit for the candidate.

Selection Criteria

The candidates’ selection criteria are:

• The candidate’s outstanding contribution to the advancement of science,
• The impact of the candidate's research on the current state of the relevant scientific field (number, quality and impact of publications, conference presentations, patents),
• The recognition of the candidate by peers within her discipline through publications,
• The recognition of the candidate’s commitments to education, teaching activities, mentoring and/or to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals more broadly.

The L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards are non-renewable.

Nominations

Scientists around the world are invited to nominate candidates for the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards. To be considered eligible, it is necessary to be nominated by an eminent scientist. Self-nominations are not eligible, nor nominations from immediate family members. Teams are not eligible for nomination.

Qualified nominators may be:
➢ Heads of University or Scientific Institutions,
➢ Members of Academies of Science,
➢ Holders of Research Chairs,
➢ Full professors,
➢ Former Laureates of the For Women in Science International Awards,
➢ at a minimum holders of a PhD in Science.

Nominations can only be submitted electronically through the online dedicated platform here and must be written in English.
Since a new application platform has been implemented in 2021, previous nominators logging on to this new website for the first time will be asked to reset their password for data security reasons (in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation). If new to the system, the nominator will need to create a user ID and password.

An application is considered complete only if it includes all of the following documents:

• A brief explanation of why the nominator considers the candidate to be eligible for the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards (200-400 words).
• A suggested quotation for the general public if the candidate is selected. This should be a concise statement (maximum of 40 words) describing the key technical or professional accomplishment for which the candidate deserves the Award. Note that the Jury will approve the final official Laureates’ statements.
• A detailed Curriculum Vitae (maximum 2 to 3 pages). The nominator is requested to include in the CV (or in the publications list) any reference to the candidate’s scientific social networks and/or websites (such as ResearchGate, ORCID, personal website).
• A list of all the candidate’s publications.
• A list of the most significant patents starting with the most recent one.
• A list of the 10 most significant publications in order of importance with: a brief summary explaining their significance and why they are so relevant according to the Nominator (less than 150 words by publication); the number of citations for each paper excluding auto-citations, and the impact factor of each journal, if relevant. Please, add a link to access all publications mentioned in the list. If for some of the publications the related links are not available, please upload them in pdf, if possible, or at least provide fully detailed article references including all the authors.
• Three to five letters of recommendation from eminent scientists outside the candidate’s home institution.

Nominations that are incomplete or received after Monday, 1July 2024, as well as applications that do not meet the requirements mentioned above, will not be taken into consideration.
Nominations are valid for two editions of the International Awards in Physical Sciences, Mathematics and Computer science. Unsuccessful nominations submitted for the 2025 edition will be held on file and nominators will be invited to update the candidates' information when the next call for nominations opens April 2026 for the 2027 edition.

Laureates’ Selection

1. Peer review pre-selection

Through a peer review process, an experts’ panel from a variety of disciplines in Physical Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Science will examine all submitted nominations.
After the experts’ evaluation, a shortlist of around 10 candidates per each of the 5 regions (no more than 50 candidates in total) will be sent for assessment to the For Women in Science International Jury in Physical Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Science.

2. Jury selection

The For Women in Science International Jury in Physical Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Science is composed of distinguished members of the international scientific community and chaired by Professor Artur Avila, Professor at Institute of Mathematics University of Zurich (Switzerland), Extraordinary Researcher at IMPA (Instituto de Mathematica Pura e Aplicada) Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Fields medal winner in 2014. The Jury will evaluate the candidates pre-selected by the peer reviewers, in accordance with the selection criteria mentioned above.

Before the Jury’s deliberation meeting, which will be held in November 2024, the Jury will review and discuss the best nominations for each region. The Jury will decide the final selection of the five Laureates by a majority vote. Its decision is final and without appeal. It cannot be contested or subject to explanation or justification. The results will be communicated by phone to the Laureates a few days after the deliberation. However, they must remain confidential until the official announcement.

Laureates' commitments

Each Laureate will receive a €100,000 Award, which is presented personally to the Laureate, in recognition of her commitment and contribution to the advancement of scientific research. The Fondation L’Oréal will make the payment of the Award directly to the Laureates a few months after the deliberation and upon reception of the necessary original documents for the wire transfer of funds. The Awards are not transferable for any other purpose whatsoever.
The Laureates notably commit to:
- Participate in the International Awards ceremony and all related events (interviews, training, presentations, dinners, visits) that will be organized around the “For Women in Science Week”. The Fondation L’Oréal will cover travel and accommodation expenses related to the Laureates’ trip.
- Keep the announcement confidential until the official announcement and not contact the media before that date. The Laureates agree to be photographed, filmed and interviewed for non-commercial objectives and for Women in Science Program-related purposes. These photos, videos and texts will be used in publications and audiovisual means, including but not limited to written press, television, internet, outdoor display, corporate publications, exhibitions, in France and worldwide. The image of the Laureates can be used for promotion of science among the younger generation, particularly young women. Each of the Laureates will sign a separate written audiovisual authorization. The Laureates will not receive any remuneration for such promotional activity.

Provisional Timetable

Nominations closing date: Monday, 1 July 2024
Pre-selection by peer review: early September to early October 2024
Examination by the Jury: mid-October to mid-November 2024
Jury deliberation meeting: end of November 2024
For Women in Science week: June 2025 (to be confirmed)
For Women in Science Awards Ceremony: June 2025 (to be confirmed)