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The Ilim Yayma Awards, Türkiye’s academic prizes honoring significant scientific achievements, were presented for the fourth time on Saturday, at the Istanbul Atatürk Cultural Center.
Organized by the Ilim Yayma (Spreading Knowledge) Foundation and the Ilim Yayma Society, the awards aim to promote advanced academic research and recognize scholars with notable contributions in their fields.
After a comprehensive two-year process of preparation, application and evaluation, the award recipients were announced across three categories: the Grand Award, the Engineering, Natural and Health Sciences Award, and the Social Sciences Award. The Grand Award carries a prize of TL 5 million ($117,660), while the other two categories each offer a prize of TL 2 million.
The ceremony was attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In his address during the event, President Erdoğan revealed a major milestone for the Ilim Yayma Awards. He stated, “Starting next year, the Ilim Yayma Awards will take on an international character. This circle of knowledge will extend beyond our borders and reach all corners of the world.” He added, “Why shouldn’t we have our own Nobel Prize? We will take that step as well.”
President Erdoğan noted the growing interest in the awards, citing a record 1,324 applications from 188 institutions, including 174 universities. He said the awards will strengthen Türkiye’s position in global science and academia and announced plans to internationalize the awards starting in 2027.
Leading award winners
Professor Özcan Erel from Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University received the Grand Award for developing a colorimetric Total Oxidant Status (TOS) method and measurement kit. His method allows accurate, sensitive, and reliable measurement of total oxidant load in samples.
This low-cost and automation-compatible technique has been widely accepted internationally and is used in both fundamental research and routine clinical labs.
Professor Barış Bayram of Middle East Technical University won the Engineering, Natural and Health Sciences Award. Bayram developed an innovative MEMS neuromorphic transistor inspired by the human brain’s function.
This device uses much less energy than existing electronics, offers enhanced hardware-level security against cyberattacks, and supports the development of next-generation innovative technologies, including AI applications and intelligent sensors. His work has raised Türkiye’s profile in international technology research.
Professor Şener Aktürk from Koç University was awarded the Social Sciences prize for his research on ethnicity, religion, and nationalism. His book, “Not So Innocent: Clerics, Monarchs, and the Ethnoreligious Cleansing of Western Europe,” analyzes how over nearly 500 years, Muslim and Jewish populations were targeted through massacres, expulsions and forced conversions across Western Europe. Aktürk’s study details the role of the Papal clergy in pressuring Christian rulers to eliminate religious minorities.
The ceremony featured the premiere of the “Ilim Yayma Awards Music,” composed by Rahman Altın and performed by an orchestra.
Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan, chairperson of the Ilim Yayma Foundation board, spoke about the award’s progress since 2019. He highlighted the rigorous eight-stage scientific evaluation process and said the Ilim Yayma Awards are now Türkiye’s largest academic prize and among the world’s most distinctive.
Erdoğan emphasized the foundation’s commitment, adding, “With our dormitories, scholarships and cultural and educational activities, we became carriers of this ideal. Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University is a fruit of this long journey, broadening our academic horizon even further.”
Recalling a 2017 consultation with academicians, he explained that the Ilim Yayma Awards were born out of a desire to encourage scientific volunteerism and support scholars: “Today, it is Türkiye’s most prestigious academic award and one of the few unique, world-recognized academic honors with its freedom and independence.”
He described this step as “a strong move not only for Türkiye but for all humanity, to support valuable works and to expand the universal value of science to wider audiences. This step is also essential for achieving Türkiye Century goals.”
On the purpose of science, Erdoğan stressed, “Science exists to keep humanity alive, to protect truth, and to strengthen justice.”
He expressed deep concern over global challenges, saying: “Today, in front of the eyes of humanity, we painfully witness the attempt to erase the history, memory, and future of a people in Gaza. Children, civilians, scientists, even books are targeted in this brutality, which is one of the greatest human shame of our era.”
He reminded attendees of the upcoming 75th anniversary of the Ilim Yayma Society, which has served Türkiye’s education and science sectors for nearly 75 years.
Yusuf Tülün, president of the Ilim Yayma Society, emphasized the organization’s longstanding commitment since 1951 to supporting education in Türkiye. He described the society’s mission as the product of a dedicated group focused on national development through knowledge, ethics, and faith.
Tülün noted ongoing efforts, including schools, dormitories, scholarships and international education support. He said the awards have become an essential tool for encouraging scholars.
Professor Idris Sarısoy, chair of the award jury, detailed the 2025 application and evaluation process. The awards increased outreach this year by contacting 134 university rectors and inviting 180,000 academics. This resulted in a record 1,324 applications from 174 universities. Of these, 811 applications were in Social Sciences, 483 in Engineering, Natural and Health Sciences, and 30 in the Grand Award category.
