- Vision Award
António Champalimaud
Vision Award
The António Champalimaud Vision Award was launched during the ‘Vision 2020 - The Right to Sight’ global initiative for blindness prevention, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).
The Award is presented once a year, alternating between major advances in research related to vision and/or the restoration of sight (in even years) and contributions to the fight against blindness and visual impairment, primarily in developing regions (in odd years). Productive organisations, including collaborative efforts involving groups from more than one institution or domain, can be nominated or apply for the Award.
The 2025 António Champalimaud Vision Award invites applications and nominations under a widened scope, until December 31st, 2024.
The Award recognises groups that contributed to the fight against blindness and visual impairment, primarily in developing regions and/or have developed innovations or new technologies that impact on the quality of life of the blind and visually impaired.
The Award is not only directed at large global organisations but also to all organisations that, whatever their size, can show they have obtained high-impact results. These organisations can be local, national, regional, or international.
Candidates will be considered by a distinguished international jury for the quality and distinction of their work, their achievements, and the measurable impact of their pursuit, as well as the enduring amplifying effects of their activities.
The Award jury is composed of a panel of world-renowned international scientists and outstanding public figures who have dedicated their lives to solving the problems, and meeting the needs, of the developing world.
For more information, see the application Form and Guidelines here.
Application
Vision Award
A global initiative
Candidate eligibility
Award candidates may be leading laboratories, organisations, or projects resulting from collaborative efforts, dedicated to vision research (1); the preservation and restitution of vision or to the facilitation of access to such measures by underserved populations (2); fighting blindness in the field (3); and the development of new technologies to assist the visually impaired (4). Candidates can be from more than one discipline or institution.
The Award focus, and its eligible candidates alternate from odd to even years.
Participation process
The Award is presented once a year, alternating between major advances in research related to vision and/or the restoration of sight (in even years), and contributions to the fight against blindness and visual impairment, primarily in developing regions and/or innovations or new technologies that impact on the quality of life of the blind and visually impaired (in odd years). Productive laboratories/organisations, including collaborative efforts involving groups from more than one institution or domain, can be nominated or apply for the Award.
Award entry form
Entry forms are made available online every year. After being completed, they must be received by the Foundation by December 31st of the year preceding that of the Award. Adjoining material will be accepted during the first half of the month of January of the year of the Award, provided that candidates/nominators notify the Champalimaud Foundation of the submission.
Follow-up of submitted applications
After receiving the forms and entry material, the Champalimaud Foundation may contact the candidates and/or their nominators to request additional information. Entries will be active for 3 award cycles, and Candidates/Nominators may send an update sheet and/or update the form, bibliography and letters accordingly. Not having been contacted after the application/nomination does not mean that a candidate is not being considered by the jury.
The Award
The €1,000,000 Award can be used in any way that contributes to the invaluable contributions of the laureate group/organisation without restrictions (except commercial purposes). This could be furthering basic, translational or clinical research, clinical practice or public health programmes.
The Award Laureates are announced every year in September directly on the Foundation’s website and social media.
More information
If you have any questions or need additional information you can contact us at:
T (+1) 617 959 5277 (USA)
T (+351) 210 480 200 (Portugal, ext. 4225 or 4237)
Email: award@fchampalimaud.org
The 2024 António Champalimaud Vision Award has been awarded to four distinguished researchers—Margaret Livingstone, Nancy Kanwisher, Doris Tsao, and Winrich Freiwald—for their groundbreaking contributions to visual neuroscience.
Jury Members
Vision Award
A distinguished global panel
The Award jury is composed of a select panel of world-renowned international scientists and outstanding public figures who have dedicated their lives to solving the problems, and meeting the needs, of the developing world.
Jury Members
Vision Award
Alfred Sommer
President
Amartya Sen
Carla Shatz
Gullapalli N. Rao
José Cunha-Vaz
Joshua Sanes
Mark Bear
Paul Sieving
Susumu Tonegawa
Awardees
Vision Award
2024
2024 António Champalimaud Vision Award
The 2024 António Champalimaud Vision Award has been awarded to four distinguished researchers for their groundbreaking contributions to visual neuroscience.
During a ceremony presided over by the President of the Portuguese República, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the recipient of the 2024 António Champalimaud Vision Award was announced.
The laureates of the 2024 António Champalimaud Vision Award are researchers Margaret Livingstone, Nancy Kanwisher, Doris Tsao (from the United States) and Winrich Freiwald (Germany) for their innovative contributions to understanding the neural mechanisms underlying facial recognition.
The collective work carried out by these researchers has led to significant advances in the field of visual neuroscience, demonstrating how the brain processes and recognises faces, a fundamental aspect of social interaction and human cognition.
