L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards announces five laureates for 2026

Key facts

• The 2026 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards were announced on May 19, 2026 in Paris, France, and will be presented at UNESCO headquarters on June 11, 2026.
• The 2026 edition received a record 504 nominations from 89 countries, and the programme has recognised over 5,000 women researchers, including 142 laureates, seven of whom later won Nobel Prizes.
• Professor Liesl Zühlke, of the University of Cape Town and Vice President of the South African Medical Research Council, was named laureate for Africa and the Arab States for improving care for children with rheumatic heart disease.
• Professor Felice Jacka, Deakin Distinguished Professor at Deakin University in Australia, was awarded the Asia and the Pacific laureate for establishing the field of nutritional psychiatry linking diet, brain health, and mental health.
• UNESCO and Fondation L’Oréal renewed their partnership for six years, and UNESCO noted that women still account for only one in three researchers globally.