Awards and Medals

Since 1996, TWAS has been awarding the 'TWAS Medal Lectures' to some of its members, in recognition of their achievements in their fields of research. The recipients lecture on a main aspect of their work, and are presented with a medal as a token of appreciation.
Since 2022, a TWAS Young Affiliate/Alumni is also awarded. An additional requirement for being awarded is active membership in the TWAS Young Affiliate Network (TYAN) - https://tyan.twas.org
A new category is being introduced for the 2024 Medals, a Medal for contributions to issues of inequalities in developing countries. This medal is open also to non-TWAS Fellows

The Academy provides nine awards to individual scientists who have been working and living in a developing country for at least 10 years. The cycle of the TWAS Awards is now every two years.

With funding from the Siwei Cheng Foundation of the Education Foundation of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the award will recognize economic scientists who have been living and working in a developing country for at least 10 years. The cycle of the Award is now every two years.

This annual award, established in year 2020, recognizes scientific achievements by young scientists living and working in a developing country.
The fifth edition of the award will recognize achievements in Life Sciences. The award, worth USD 10,000, is sponsored by Lenovo Ltd.

The 2024 award, sponsored by Searle Company Ltd, will be given to a chemist not older than 40, national of a science-and-technology lagging country (STLC), who has been living and working there for a minimum of two years immediately prior to his/her nomination. The award is worth $5,000.

This award, named after TWAS President Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim, is designed to honour women scientists in Least Developed African countries for their achievements in Biological Sciences. It carries a cash award of USD5,000 generously provided by Professor Abdool Karim.

This annual award, named after the TWAS Fellow Fayzah M. Al-Kharafi, recognizes women scientists from Scientifically and Technologically Lagging (STL) countries.
It carries a cash award of USD4,000 generously provided by Professor Al-Kharafi and will rotate among various fields of science. In 2024 the award will be given for achievements in Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics or Engineering Sciences.

This annual award, named after the TWAS Fellow Samira Omar, recognizes the significant impact on the environment and biodiversity of scientists from least developed countries, with a monetary award of $4,000 generously provided by Professor Omar. In 2024 the award is aimed exclusively at women scientists.

Established in 2020, this biennial award is named after TWAS late Vice-President for the Arab Region, Prof. Mohammad A. Hamdan. It is given for outstanding mathematical work carried out by a scientist working and living in Africa or the Arab region.

The TWAS-Lenovo Science Award is one of the most prestigious honours given to scientists from the developing world.

The TWAS-Abdus Salam Medal was instituted in 1995 to honour the Academy's founder and first president, Nobel Laureate Professor Abdus Salam and is awarded to highly distinguished personalities who have served the cause of science in the Developing World.
The next TWAS-Abdus Salam Medal will be conferred in 2026 on the occasion of the election of the new Council of TWAS.

Each of the Academy's five regional offices provide an award of USD3,000 each year. The award rotate each year among the following four areas: popularization of science, development of scientific educational material, building scientific institutions and science diplomacy.