Mustafa Prize Foundation Announces Nominees for Rasoul Medal, Ceremony in Late 2026

The Mustafa (PBUH) Science and Technology Foundation has announced the preliminary list of nominees for the second edition of the Rasoul (PBUH) Medal, formerly known as the Young Scientist Medal. The final meeting of the scientific working group for the medal was held at the Foundation's headquarters, attended by the heads of the judging panels for each scientific field. The preliminary list includes over 100,000 individuals across seven scientific fields. The breakdown is as follows: 55,878 in biological and medical sciences; 4,675 in physics; 7,897 in chemistry; 1,965 in mathematics; 5,589 in computer science; and 26,377 in engineering sciences. Additionally, 14 individuals qualified in the field of nanotechnology.

After several meetings, the Mustafa (PBUH) Prize Scientific Committee finalized the shortlist, which consists of four finalists in Engineering, four in Basic Sciences, four in Mathematics, four in Computer Science, and eight in Life and Medical Sciences and Technology. The winners of the medal are expected to be announced in late October, with the award ceremony scheduled to take place in November-December 2026.

Hossein Naderi-Manesh, head of the scientific committee of the Rasoul Medal, stated that given the international nature of the event, it would be desirable for the award ceremony to be held in various Islamic countries, emphasizing the need to harness the immense capacities available across the Islamic world to host the event. The medal's secretariat released a call last December for scientists under the age of 40 residing in Islamic countries. Scientific organizations or individuals were invited to nominate candidates by January 20, 2026.

The Rasoul Medal was established through the endowments of several Mustafa (PBUH) Prize laureates. Professors Ugur Sahin, Omid Farrokhzad, and Dr. Vahab Mirrokni dedicated their cash prize to this cause upon receiving their Mustafa (PBUH) Prize in 2019, 2023, and 2025, respectively. The first edition of the medal was held concurrently with the 6th edition of the Mustafa (PBUH) Prize in 2025.

The medal is awarded to impactful works in the fields of Life and Medical Science and Technology, Basic and Engineering Sciences, and Computer Science by young scientists of the Islamic countries. Candidates must be nominated by a third-party scientific or technological body, such as universities and research centers, reputable scientific and technological associations and institutions, academies of sciences, or science and technology parks. Candidates for the Rasoul Medal must be under 40 years old at the end of the year in which the medal is awarded, meaning candidates for the 2026 Young Scientist Medal must be born in 1987 or later. Winners receive a medal, a certificate, and a $10,000 cash prize in each category. The Rasoul Medal promotes scientific and technological breakthroughs by young scientists in the Islamic world and recognizes their influential achievements. According to Mehr News, the award ceremony is planned for late autumn (Azar) and the final laureates will be honored then.