Rasul Medal Secretariat Finalized Award Shortlist
The prestigious award for scientists under 40 has narrowed a field of 100,000 candidates down to 24 nominees.
Updated on Sept. 30, 2026 in Science — General
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The Rasul Medal secretariat has announced a shortlist of 24 finalists selected from an initial pool of over 100,000 applicants across seven distinct scientific fields. The award seeks to honor exceptional scientists under the age of 40 from the Islamic world.
Why it matters
The competition aims to spotlight talented young researchers and foster global scientific cooperation. By elevating these individual achievements, the foundation intends to bring groundbreaking work to greater public attention.
The selection process evaluated over 100,000 candidates, including 55,878 in biological and medical sciences, 26,377 in engineering, and 14 in nanotechnology. These figures represent the total applicant pool vetted by the judging panel.
The players
Rasul Medal Secretariat
This body manages the nomination and selection process for the prestigious international science award.
The details
The judging panel, based in Tehran, compiled the shortlist after reviewing outcomes from previous meetings and vetting nominees submitted by the deadline. The award recognizes innovation across fields ranging from mathematics and chemistry to computer science and physics.
Timeline
The secretariat issued the initial call for nominations in December 2025.
The official deadline for submission of nominations occurred on January 20, 2026.
The award ceremony to crown the final winners is scheduled for December 2026.
The Big Picture
The Rasul Medal represents a significant effort to cultivate scientific infrastructure across the Islamic world by highlighting young researchers. This shortlist confirms the program is successfully identifying high-level talent across a wide breadth of competitive scientific sectors.
The recognition of these 24 finalists may accelerate the commercialization of new medical treatments or technological advancements currently under development by young scientists. These discoveries could eventually yield more efficient engineering solutions and improved patient outcomes.
The takeaway
The vast applicant pool highlights an immense surge in global scientific ambition among young researchers under the age of 40. This shortlist provides a roadmap for tracking the most influential discoveries likely to shape scientific progress over the next decade.
What happens next
The final winners of the Rasul Medal will be formally announced and celebrated during the award ceremony scheduled for December 2026.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest innovations and research breakthroughs in the Science — General section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Tehran Times.
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