Mustafa(pbuh) Prize News

Closing Ceremony of the Mustafa (PBUH) Prize; Special Attention to Young Scientists

2025/09/08

According to the Communications and Information Center of the Mustafa (PBUH) Prize, the closing ceremony of the 6th edition of this award was held on the evening of Monday, September 17, 2025, at Vahdat Hall in Tehran. The event was attended by Dr. Hossein Afshin, Vice President for Science; Dr. Ali Akbar Salehi, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Mustafa (PBUH) Science and Technology Foundation; Mehdi Safari-Nia, Secretary of the Mustafa (PBUH) Prize Policy Council; Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, Secretary-General of the OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH); as well as the laureates of this edition and scholars of science and technology from across the Islamic world.
At the closing ceremony, Ali Akbar Salehi referred to a saying from Imam Ali (AS): “Knowledge is power; whoever possesses it prevails, and whoever lacks it is overcome.”
He also noted the coincidence of the event with the 1500th anniversary of the birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), emphasizing: “Islam is a religion of knowledge and wisdom, and has always regarded science as a beacon of guidance and a firm pillar of civilization-building.”
Salehi continued: “The tradition of science in Islam and Iran is not merely a tool for knowing, but a path to attaining truth. Scholars are the torchbearers of this journey, who, through education and research, expand knowledge and put it at the service of society’s progress and the fulfillment of humanity’s needs.”
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Mustafa (PBUH) Science and Technology Foundation emphasized that the Mustafa (PBUH) Prize is likewise dedicated to recognizing and honoring such contributors.
He then presented a report on the organization of the 6th edition, saying: “The public call for nominations was announced in February 2024, and institutions and individuals had until September 2024 to submit their nominees to the Secretariat. The Secretariat then identified outstanding achievements of scientists, which ultimately led to 5,248 researchers submitting their works in three fields: ‘Information and Communication Science and Technology,’ ‘Life Sciences and Medicine,’ and ‘Basic and Engineering Sciences.’ These works were evaluated in several stages based on criteria such as scientific accuracy, scope of impact, applicability, and social influence.”
Salehi explained that international judges also took into account the scientific standing of the researchers in addition to the originality of their works. “After the initial screening, the number of nominees was reduced to 97, from which 24 outstanding works were selected for final review. A detailed dossier for each of these works was sent to 100 distinguished scientists worldwide. Finally, three laureates with brilliant and lasting contributions were deemed worthy of receiving the Prize.”
He added: “In this edition, for the first time, the Young Scientist Medal was awarded to three distinguished researchers from Iran, Malaysia, and Turkey at the Academy of Sciences, which reflects the Mustafa (PBUH) Prize’s special attention to young scientists.”