The
2023 Tang Prize winners visited the foundation to hear the Tang Prize
medal introduction, including the Biotechnology and Medicine Award winners
Katalin Kariko ( center ) , Peter Kulis ( left ) , and
the Sustainability Award winner Jeffrey Sacks ( right )
Dr. Jenn-Chuan Chern, CEO of the Tang Prize Foundation, recalls that when the Prize was established, the Foundation commissioned the Taiwan Design Center to hold the "Tang Prize Medal Design Competition" in 2013. The competition offered an unprecedented total design prize of US$1 million to help promote the Tang Prize concept globally. The international jurors, led by Prof. Dr. Peter Zec, Founder and CEO of the Red Dot Design Award, along with domestic and international authorities in metalwork and sculpture, selected from entries submitted by 61 top designers from 15 countries. After a rigorous selection process, the Japanese design master Naoto Fukasawa's work emerged victorious, earning him the US$500,000 grand prize.
Dr. Chern remembers that Prof. Dr. Peter Zec immediately recognized Fukasawa's work among the ten finalists' physical models, stating, "You could tell at first glance it was the superior design." The concept features a single continuous form symbolizing DNA and a dragon's spiral curve to express the power of life and dynamic movement. Although the spiral curve consists of circular structures, it never returns to its starting point, symbolizing the endless pursuit of human history, growth, life, and knowledge.
The actual casting of this three-dimensional medal proved to be the greatest challenge, requiring solutions for issues related to spatial structure, spiral positioning, and the soft nature of gold. With the recommendation of former Central Bank Governor Fai-Nan Perng, the Tang Prize commissioned the Central Mint—Taiwan's century-old professional gold casting team—for this demanding task. The process involved various experimental techniques, collaboration with domestic precision manufacturing companies and academic institutions, and the integration of high-tech methods, including 3D printing, laser engraving, and computer technology. Using unprecedented, innovative patented techniques, they perfectly achieved the 1mm gap at the spiral intersections, creating a unique pure gold medal.
In
December 2024, Dr. Chern personally traveled to Singapore to present the
inscribed, priceless Tang Prize gold medal to Jane Goodall, the 2020 Tang Prize
Laureate in Sustainable Development. Receiving her medal after a four-year
delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Goodall was delighted, praising its
beautiful design and promising to preserve it carefully. She was also surprised
by the weight of the 214-gram pure gold medal. Later, while traveling to Nepal,
she encountered customs scrutiny over the medal but was cleared after
explaining its prestigious nature. These instances highlight the unique and
valuable nature of the Tang Prize medal. Indeed, during the Tang Prize Week,
when all the laureates visit Taiwan to receive their awards and participate in
various activities, the Foundation makes special arrangements to further
showcase the medal's exceptional value.