Leelavati Award


The Leelavati Award is an award for outstanding contribution to public outreach in mathematics. It is named after the 12th-century mathematical treatise "Lilavati" devoted to arithmetic and algebra written by the Indian mathematician Bhāskara II, also known as Bhaskara Achārya. In the book the author posed, in verse form, a series of problems in arithmetic to one Leelavati and followed them up with hints to solutions. This work appears to have been the main source of learning arithmetic and algebra in medieval India. The work was also translated into Persian and was influential in West Asia.

History

The Leelavati Prize was handed out for the first time at the closing ceremony of the International Congress of Mathematicians 2010 in Hyderabad, India. Established by the Executive Organising Committee of the ICM with the endorsement of the IMU Executive Committee, the Leelavati Prize was initiated as a one-time international award for outstanding public outreach work for mathematics. The award was so well received at the conference and in the mathematical press that the IMU decided to turn the prize into a recurring four-yearly award and the award ceremony a regular feature of every ICM closing ceremony.
The Leelavati prize is not intended to reward mathematical research but rather outreach activities in the broadest possible sense. It carries a cash prize of 1,000,000 Indian Rupees together with a citation and is sponsored by Infosys.

Laureates

Award yearWinnerReasons
2010Simon Singh"For outstanding contributions to public outreach in mathematics by an individual."
2014Adrián Paenza"For his decisive contributions to changing the mind of a whole country about the way it perceives mathematics in daily life, and in particular for his books, his TV programs, and his unique gift of enthusiasm and passion in communicating the beauty and joy of mathematics."
2018Ali Nesin"For his outstanding contributions towards increasing public awareness of mathematics in Turkey, in particular for his tireless work in creating the "Mathematical Village" as an exceptional, peaceful place for education, research and the exploration of mathematics for anyone."