Prize

• Lai vince il premio letterario da 60.000 dollari per il suo studio sulla repressione e la rabbia di una giovane donna che lotta per conciliare le necessità di chi la circonda. • In qualità di vincitrice del Stella prize 2026, Lee Lai ha stabilito due primati: è la prima persona non binaria a vincere il premio con il suo libro Cannon, che è inoltre la prima graphic novel a ottenere il premio letterario australiano da 60.000 dollari destinato a scrittrici e scrittori non binari. • Cannon segue la protagonista, una donna cinese queer che vive a Montreal nella "fase meno cool dei vent'anni". Il vero nome di Cannon è Lucy, che è diventato Luce e poi (loose) Cannon – e proprio come il suo soprannome indesiderato, lei si assume ogni responsabilità senza lamentarsi.

• La prima cerimonia di premiazione del Nobel da quando il Presidente Trump ha ristrutturato il consiglio di amministrazione all'inizio di quest'anno è pronta a procedere, con i nuovi nominati che influenzeranno le selezioni. • I cambiamenti mirano ad allineare i premi con le priorità americane, scatenando un dibattito internazionale sulla politicizzazione. • Questo spostamento è significativo per il soft power degli Stati Uniti e potrebbe alterare le future scelte dei premiati per la pace e l'economia.

• In una rara apparizione pubblica, la whistleblower di Meta Sarah Wynn-Williams ha messo in guardia contro le «reti di élite potenti» che utilizzano ricchezza e influenza per mettere a tacere le voci dissidenti. • La whistleblower di Meta Sarah Wynn-Williams e la defunta Virginia Giuffre hanno vinto congiuntamente il premio Freedom to Publish ai British Book Awards di quest'anno, segnando la prima volta in cui il premio è stato condiviso. • Wynn-Williams, ex dirigente di Facebook, è stata premiata per "Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed and Lost Idealism", le sue memorie bestseller sugli anni trascorsi all'interno di Meta, precedentemente Facebook. Il libro contiene accuse sulla cultura e le pratiche interne dell'azienda, tra cui l'approccio all'influenza politica, la Cina e il benessere degli adolescenti. Meta ha contestato tali affermazioni.

• Jannik Sinner urged Grand Slam tournaments to show greater respect to players during an escalating prize money row. • Novak Djokovic backed player power in the standoff with tennis's four major events. • The dispute highlights growing tensions over equitable compensation at top-tier tournaments.

Australia’s most prominent portrait prize was announced on Friday at the Art Gallery of NSW, where the finalist exhibition will open on SaturdayArchibald prize 2026 finalists: Virginia Trioli, Jan Fran, Ahmed al-Ahmed and more – in picturesRichard Lewer has been awarded the 2026 Archibald prize for his portrait of Pitjantjatjara elder, traditional healer and senior artist Iluwanti Ken.The New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based artist was announced as the winner of the $100,000 prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales on Friday. The judging panel, comprised of the gallery’s trustees, selected the work unanimously from a field of 59 finalists whittled down from 1,034 entries. Continue reading...

Authorities investigate Florent Montaclair over award given to himself and others including Noam ChomskyAt a ceremony at the French national assembly attended by Nobel prize winners, former government ministers, MPs, decorated scientists and academics, all attention was on a previously unknown literature professor.Florent Montaclair, then 46, a balding, bespectacled figure in an ill-fitting suit and rosé-coloured shirt, was receiving the 2016 Gold Medal of Philology - the study of linguistics – from an international society of the same name. Continue reading...

The painting by self-taught artist Sean Layh was chosen by the Art Gallery of NSW staff who hang the finalists, ahead of the main announcement on 8 MayArchibald prize 2026 finalists: Virginia Trioli, Jan Fran, Ahmed al-Ahmed and more – in picturesA portrait of actor Jacob Collins by Sean Layh has won the favour of Art Gallery of NSW staff, who awarded it the Packing Room prize on Thursday, ahead of the Archibald prize’s main announcement on 8 May.Layh, a self-taught painter, said winning the prize for his work – an oil painting titled The tragicall historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke – was “one of the great honours of my professional life”. Continue reading...

• HHS launched the $4 Million KidneyX EMPOWER Prize Challenge on April 15, 2026, to advance living kidney donation and patient-centered health technologies. • The initiative aims to spur innovation in kidney care through science and programs improving American health outcomes. • This effort addresses critical needs in organ transplantation, potentially increasing donation rates and access to treatments.

• The Kennedy Center confirmed comedian Bill Maher as the 2026 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor recipient on March 26, 2026, days after White House denial labeled reports fake news. • Maher becomes the 27th honoree following Conan O'Brien and Kevin Hart; he quipped, 'It's like an Emmy, except I win,' in a Kennedy Center release. • White House communications director Steven Cheung called prior Atlantic reporting 'Literally FAKE NEWS,' and press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Maher would not receive the award.

Comedian who called Trump ‘gracious and measured’ will win humor award the White House dubbed ‘FAKE NEWS’Bill Maher will win the prestigious Mark Twain prize for American humor, the Kennedy Center said Thursday, less than a week after the White House forcefully denied that the comedian, who has had a hot-and-cold relationship with Donald Trump, would win it.“For nearly three decades, the Mark Twain prize has celebrated some of the greatest minds in comedy,” Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice-president of public relations, said in a statement. “For even longer, Bill has been influencing American discourse — one politically incorrect joke at a time.” Continue reading...

Glasses use verbal cues and floating text to assist wearers and are expected to be available in early 2027AI software that can be embedded into smart glasses has won a £1m prize for technology to help people with dementia.Built into chunky, black-rimmed frames that have a camera, microphone and speakers, the tech – known as CrossSense – guides wearers through everyday life by means of a chatty assistant called Wispy. Continue reading...