Welcome to the New Templeton Prize

Today we’re unveiling the new website, logo, and purpose statement for the Templeton Prize.

Together, these updates honor the 48-year history of the Prize and bring into fresh focus the vision of its founder, Sir John Templeton.

You can find the purpose statement here, on our new website, or read it below:

The Templeton Prize honors individuals whose exemplary achievements advance Sir John Templeton’s philanthropic vision: harnessing the power of the sciences to explore the deepest questions of the universe and humankind’s place and purpose within it.

The new logo, seen below, embodies this vision. Because the questions examined by Laureates often involve exploring hidden dimensions of existence—both spiritual and scientific—the logo’s enveloped layers reflect these dimensions. Its shape evokes one of the natural world’s dominant forms: the hexagon, revered as a symbol of harmony and balance in myriad cultures, religions, and disciplines.

Originated in 1972, the Templeton Prize was Sir John Templeton’s first major philanthropic venture. He created the Templeton Prize because he wanted to recognize discoveries that yielded new insights about religion especially through science, and he set the award amount above that of the Nobel Prizes in order to recognize the importance of progress in religion. His understanding of progress in religion evolved during his lifetime and is shown in the variety among the 49 Laureates who have received the Prize. Winners have come from all major faiths and dozens of countries and have included Nobel Prize winners, philosophers, theoretical physicists, and one canonized saint.

Throughout the decades, the Prize always reflected Sir John’s core conviction that there is a deeper level of reality that can be accessed through rigorous research, especially in the sciences. For the first few decades of the Prize, HRH Prince Philip presented the award, and distinguished leaders such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Dame Margaret Thatcher, and Presidents George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford served as judges.

Today we’re also unveiling a new selection process for the Templeton Prize. Please learn more here.