On August 25, the New Cornerstone Science Foundation officially announced in Beijing the list of recipients of the 7th Xplorer Prize. Fifty young scientists were selected, among them Prof. Yi Chang of the School of Artificial Intelligence, Jilin University.
The Xplorer Prize is a public-interest award funded by the New Cornerstone Science Foundation, with the selection of talent led by scientists. It is one of the highest-value funding programs in China for young scientific and technological talent. The prize targets the fields of basic science and frontier technology, and supports outstanding young scientists working full-time in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao (men aged 45 and below; women aged 48 and below).
The Xplorer Prize was established in 2018, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Tencent's founding. It was jointly initiated by 14 scientists — Chen-Ning Yang, Yi Rao, Shiyi Chen, Taining Cheng, Wen Gao, Huawu He, Peigen Li, Shude Mao, Jian-Wei Pan, Yigong Shi, Hequan Wu, Kechang Xie, Sunney Xiaoliang Xie and Yitang Zhang — together with Pony Ma, founder of Tencent.
The Xplorer Prize covers ten fields: Mathematics and Physics; Chemistry and New Materials; Astronomy and Earth Sciences; Life Sciences; Medical Sciences; Information and Electronics; Energy and Environment; Advanced Manufacturing; Transportation and Architecture; and Frontier Interdisciplinary Research. Guided by the principle of "facing the future, rewarding potential and encouraging exploration," the prize encourages young researchers to devote themselves wholeheartedly to exploring the "uncharted territories" of science and technology. In talent selection, it strictly adheres to the principle that "scientists have the final say"; in the use of prize money, recipients are free to decide how to spend it; and in its operation, it runs as a public-interest initiative, seeking no commercial return and committing itself to long-term sustainability. Each year, no more than 50 recipients are selected, and each receives a total of RMB 3 million over five years, to be used entirely at their own discretion. As of 2025, the prize has supported 347 outstanding young scientists, covering young leaders across basic science and frontier technology.
