The 2022 Nobel Peace Prize medal (150g, 18K gold) was auctioned for NT$3.1 billion (US$103.5 million) to raise funds for Ukrainian children, setting a historic record of 100 times the value of the original Nobel Prize award. How much, then, is the Tang Prize medal worth, which rivals the Nobel Prize in prestige? With recent gold prices hitting new highs, the value of the Tang Prize medal—crafted from 214 grams of 99.99% pure gold—has also increased significantly. Last week, when spot gold prices reached US$3,312 per ounce, the material value alone of each Tang Prize medal was worth NT$826,000. Beyond its material worth, the medal's value is enhanced by its status as a world-class award bearing the laureate's name, while its unparalleled design, creativity, and craftsmanship cement the Tang Prize medal's legacy as a timeless treasure.
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.
About the Tang Prize
Since the advent of globalization, mankind has been able to enjoy the convenience brought forth by the advancement of human civilization and science. Yet a multitude of challenges, such as climate change, the emergence of new infectious diseases, wealth gap, and moral degradation, have surfaced along the way. Against this backdrop, Dr. Samuel Yin established the Tang Prize in December 2012. It consists of four award categories, namely Sustainable Development, Biopharmaceutical Science, Sinology, and Rule of Law. Every other year, four independent and professional selection committees, comprising many internationally renowned experts, scholars, and Nobel winners, choose as Tang Prize laureates people who have influenced and made substantive contributions to the world, regardless of ethnicity, nationality or gender. A cash prize of NT$50 million (approx. US$1.7 million) is allocated to each category, with NT$10 million (approx. US$ 0.35 million) of it being a research grant intended to encourage professionals in every field to examine mankind’s most urgent needs in the 21st century, and become leading forces in the development of human society through their outstanding research outcomes and active civic engagement.
