Laureates of the 2021 Global Energy Prize Announced

MOSCOW, Sept. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The winners of the 2021 Global Energy Prize were announced on 6^th September in Kazan. The laureates were: Russian scientists Zinfer Ismagilov and Suleyman Alakhverdiev, as well as American academic Yi Cui.

Zinfer Ismagilov was the winner in the category "Conventional Energy" for his fundamental contribution to the chemistry of carbon materials, heterogeneous catalysis, and climate action.

Suleyman Alakhverdiev became the laureate in the "Non-conventional energy" category for an outstanding contribution to the development of alternative energy, scientific achievements in the design of artificial photosynthesis systems, a cycle of scientific works in the field of bioenergy and hydrogen energy.

Yi Cui was selected in the category "New ways of energy application" for exceptional contributions in nanomaterials design, synthesis and characterisation for energy and the environment, particularly for transformational innovations in battery science.

"By choosing these three laureates, I am sure the Global Energy Prize sent out a strong message that scientific and technological innovations in the field of both conventional and non-conventional energy can lead us to a clean energy future," Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Rae Kwon Chung says, who is a Head of the Global Energy Prize International Award Committee. "I would like to congratulate the hard work of the Secretariat of the Global Energy Association led by Sergey Brilev who successfully expanded the number of countries that produced the nominations from around the world and garnered more than one hundred new candidates."

The ceremony announcing the names of the laureates took place in the Kazan Town Hall. Taking part in the gala event were the President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, the President of the Global Energy Association, Sergey Brilev, as well as members of the International Award Committee – Marta Bonifert from Hungary and Dmitry Bassarabov. Joining the event by video link was Rae Kwon Chung.

On the eve of the ceremony, the laureates were determined at a closed session of the International Committee. The Committee required six ballots to determine the winner in some categories. The spirited competition was the result of efforts to internationalise the Global Energy Prize undertaken by the association over the past year and a half.

The prize will be presented in October during the Russian Energy Week forum.

The new nomination cycle will open on 1^st December 2021.