Overview
- The 2026 cohort recognizes contributors in biomedical research, fashion, and art history, reflecting the program’s two-decade mission to elevate immigrant impact in the United States.
- Top $100,000 honors go to Karolin Luger (Biomedical Science), Tanya Meléndez-Escalante (Fashion & Culture), and Peter Do (Fashion & Design), with the Marica Vilcek Prize in Art History awarded to Colonel Matthew Bogdanos.
- Creative Promise awards of $50,000 in Biomedical Science go to Takashi Akera for work on selfish DNA, Aashish Manglik for advances in GPCR signaling, and Berna Sozen for pioneering human development models.
- Fashion awards include $50,000 Creative Promise honorees Diego Bendezu, Jalan and Jibril Durimel, and Natalie Nudell in Fashion & Culture, plus Jacques Agbobly, Marcelo Gutierrez, and Uyen Tran in Fashion & Design, with Tran recognized for TomTex’s mushroom- and plant-based leather alternatives.
- The prizewinners represent 12 countries, and the foundation reports $9.6 million awarded through the prizes over two decades, with more than $17 million in prizes and grants since its founding.