A galaxy of stars was present to celebrate the world’s top innovators. A whopping amount of $15.75 million was received by the scientists for their exceptional work at the Ninth Breakthrough Prize Ceremony. Among many others, the likes of Robert Downey Jr., John Legend, and Gal Gadot joined the ceremony to honor those intellectual minds who worked towards creation and scientific innovation- both medical and non-medical for the betterment of the world.

Yes! you guessed it right. These accolades, funded by the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, are to recognize the exceptional works in the fields of mathematics, life sciences, and physics. Notably, this year, they staged it amongst the A-list Hollywood luminaries at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Saturday, 15 April. The lineup of stars, along with the aforementioned entities, included appearances from Leslie Odom Jr., Chris Pine, and Kristen Bell.

Moreover, the ceremony also saw the presence of Mae Jemison, Magnus Carlsen, Danny DeVito, Lily Collins, Robert Downey Jr., Gal Gadot, Lauren Ridloff, Brie Larson, Edward Norton, and Chloé Zhao. And while John Legend performed live at the event hosted by actor and Emmy Award winner James Corden, songster Chris Isaak rocked the ceremony’s afterparty.

Well, that is not all. The likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Yuri Milner, Julia Milner, and other prominent leaders of the business and academia world, who financially aided it, were also present at the event and honored scientists with prize money and accolades.

However, the main heroes; the spotlight of the ‘Oscars of Science’ was none other than those who received these awards.

Everything you need to know about the Breakthrough Prize ceremony

Established and funded by Mark Zuckerberg and the likes, Breakthrough Prize is also referred to as the ‘Oscars of Science.’ The worth of each accolade is reportedly $3 million and is awarded in the categories of fundamental physics, mathematics, and life sciences. Apart from that, they also present up to 9 awards in different categories to the early birds in the field of research.

This year’s ceremony notably marked the first event after the 2019 event as the Covid-19 pandemic hindered them from conducting the same; although 2020 did see them streaming the event live. And therefore, 17 laureates from the past three years got the awards. Among many others, it was truly mesmerizing to watch Drew Weissman and Katalin Karikó, whose work was crucial to developing COVID mRNA vaccines, get their well-deserved awards with a standing ovation.

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