Leonardo da Vinci International Award


The Leonardo da Vinci International Award is an annual international prize named after Leonardo da Vinci, to award outstanding achievement by young people involved in the study of the sciences, technology, literature and the arts. Among the disciplines recognised and rewarded so far have been painting, sculpture, music, geology, architecture, medicine and nuclear physics. Its previous laureates include musicians Evelyn Glennie and Leonidas Kavakos.

History

was an Italian polymath of the Renaissance renowned primarily as a painter, who also had other interests including sculpture, architecture, literature, anatomy, botany, paleontology, cartography, music, geology, astronomy and engineering. Many historians and scholars regard Leonardo as the prime exemplar of the "Universal Genius" or "Renaissance Man". His works include the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, Vitruvian Man, Virgin of the Rocks and his self-portrait, which are some of the most popular and influential paintings of the Renaissance.
The Leonardo da Vinci International Award was founded in 1975 by the Rotary Club of Florence in collaboration with the Athens, Tours and Wien-Ring Rotary Clubs.
Since its foundation, seven more European Rotary clubs have joined the initiative:
As of July 2020, eleven Rotary Clubs in Europe participate in this award ceremony: Florence, Tours, Vienna, Athens, Madrid, Würzburg, Brussels, Amsterdam, London, Dublin and Copenhagen.
The award's purpose is to encourage young people to study the works of Leonardo da Vinci and provide recognition for researchers who have written papers on Leonardo’s works. It is a unique initiative, which places the city of Vigevano at the forefront of the initiatives. Aimed at scholars and researchers from across the world and people who can present works multilingually, the event's quality is guaranteed by a prestigious jury, made up of teachers from Italian universities, directors of research centres and reputable Da Vinci scholars.

Ceremonies