The World Laureates Foundation (WLF) Prize has introduced a new category for young scientists this year, shining a spotlight not only on established scientific leaders, but also on rising talent pushing the boundaries of what we know and understand.

A lineup of this year's WLF Prize winners. [Photo/World Laureates Foundation]

The six recipients of the inaugural WLF Prize for Young Scientists are Raphaële Juliette Clément of the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Chen Peining of Fudan University, Ding Shiqian of Tsinghua University, Wu Jiajun of Stanford University, Xie Weidi of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Zhuang Ziquan of Johns Hopkins University.

They will each be granted prize money of 1 million yuan ($149,430) and take the stage to receive their honors during the 2026 World Laureates Forum, which is scheduled to be held in Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area from Oct 30 to Nov 1.

Meanwhile, 10 young scholars were recognized as the WLF Prize for Young Scientist Finalists this year. They are Ai Qingyao and Tian He of Tsinghua University, Cesar de la Fuente from the University of Pennsylvania, Li Tingxin and Wu Qingqing of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Linghu Changyang from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Lin Song of Stanford University, Peng Bo and Zhu Keren of Fudan University, and Wang Ye from the University of Science and Technology of China.