FOR RELEASE: Monday, March 4, 2019
2019 Templeton Prize Laureate to be announced on Tuesday, March 19
49th winner of £1.1 million annual prize for spiritual progress
Event: Announcement of the 2019 Templeton Prize Laureate
Date: Tuesday, March 19, 6:00 AM EDT (Philadelphia) / 10:00 hours GMT
Venue: Online at www.templetonprize.org; via email to journalists; Twitter via @TempletonPrize; #TempletonPrize2019
The winner of the 2019 Templeton Prize will be announced on Tuesday, March 19 at 6:00 AM EDT (Philadelphia) / 10:00 hours GMT, online at www.templetonprize.org, via email to journalists, and on Twitter via @TempletonPrize.
Valued at 1.1 million British pounds, the Templeton Prize is one of the world’s largest annual individual awards.
The Prize, which will be formally awarded at a ceremony in New York City on Wednesday, May 29, annually honors a person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical works.
Established in 1972 by the late global investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton, the Templeton Prize is a cornerstone of the John Templeton Foundation’s international efforts to serve as a philanthropic catalyst for discoveries relating to the deepest and most perplexing questions facing humankind. The Foundation supports research on subjects ranging from complexity, evolution, and emergence to creativity, forgiveness, and free will.
The 2019 Laureate will join a group of 48 Prize recipients including Archbishop Desmond Tutu (2013), the Dalai Lama (2012), and Mother Teresa, who received the inaugural award in 1973. Last year’s Templeton Prize was awarded to His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan for his efforts to promote peace-affirming Islam and to seek religious harmony within Islam and between Islam and other religions. The 2017 Laureate was the American philosopher Alvin Plantinga, whose half century of rigorous scholarship has made theism a serious option within academia. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, was recognized for his work in 2016 after spending decades bringing spiritual insight to the public conversation. Scientists who have received the Prize include Martin Rees (2011), John Barrow (2006), George Ellis (2004), Freeman Dyson (2000), and Paul Davies (1995).
Press materials on the 2019 Templeton Prize Laureate will be available prior to the announcement with a strict embargo of Tuesday, March 19 at 6:00 AM EDT (Philadelphia) / 10:00 hours GMT.
Contact:
Don Lehr, The Nolan/Lehr Group, Media Relations and Public Affairs Consultant for the Templeton Prize
tel: +1.212.967.8200 / mob: +1.917.304.4058 / email: dblehr@cs.com.
