The STARMUS festival announces the 2019 winners of the Stephen Hawking
Medal, one of the world’s most celebrated science communication awards.
This year’s recipients are:
Elon Musk for his astounding accomplishments in space travel and
for humanity
Brian Eno for his contribution to the popularisation of science
Apollo 11, a documentary by Todd Douglas Miller,
for its breakthrough look at history’s most famous space mission
STARMUS will announce the winners at a press event in Zurich on May 10th,
with the medal ceremony to follow on June 24 at the STARMUS V festival,
also in Zurich. Celebrated scientist and educator Bill Nye will host the
ceremony, and scheduled attendees include a remarkable roster of science
and space luminaries, including Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins and
six other Apollo mission astronauts.
STARMUS co-founder and board member Dr. Brian May, the legendary Queen
guitarist and PhD astrophysicist, will personally present the medal to
Mr. Musk, who has been hailed by no less than Richard Dawkins as a “hero
for our times.” On hand as well will be Sir Michael Hintze, founder,
Group Executive Chairman, and Senior Investment Officer of CQS, whose
generous patronage helps make possible the Stephen Hawking Medal; and
STARMUS founder Dr. Garik Israelian. It will be a momentous occasion,
with Mr. May and Mr. Musk flanked by the Apollo astronauts in a
not-to-miss photo opportunity.
Sir Michael Hintze, Founder and Group Executive Chairman of CQS added,
“I am excited about our support for Starmus and the 2019 Stephen Hawking
Medal. It is enabling us to better understand the origins and fate of
our universe, where we have come from and where we might go. It is about
intellectual curiosity, striving for knowledge and a journey of
discovery about our planet and our place in the universe. For science to
grow and prosper we must excite and engage with our youth, and capture
their imagination. The work being done here connects into the global
scientific community and facilitates global collaboration.”
One highlight among many expected at this year’s medal ceremony will be
a one-of-a-kind performance, conducted by musical giant Hans Zimmer
and featuring special guests, of his original composition “Once Upon
a Time on The Moon,” an incredible 50th anniversary
tribute to the Apollo missions and those who made them possible.
This year’s awards are the first bestowed since the passing of Stephen
Hawking; they are dedicated to his legacy and given in recognition of
his affinity for applied technology. Before his death, Mr. Hawking
personally invited Mr. Musk to STARMUS. Previous recipients of the
Stephen Hawking Medal include Mr. Zimmer, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Jean-Michel
Jarre, and The Big Bang Theory.
The press announcement event will happen in Zurich, May 10th
at 10:15 (GMT+2). Interested media should contact the number below to
arrange special, select interviews.
**STARMUS extends a special thanks for the amazing support from its
title sponsors, CQS, Kaspersky Labs and Omega.**
ABOUT STARMUS V:
From 24 to 29 June 2019, the world-renowned science and music festival
STARMUS celebrates a half century of lunar exploration through the theme
“50 Years of Moon Landing.” Taking place in Switzerland this year for
the first time, the festival gathers leading scientists, legendary
astronauts, and musical greats and invites the general public to share
in their passion and knowledge.
The 2019 programme will bring together some of the most intelligent,
creative, and artistic people on the planet. Prominent attendees—all
personally selected by the STARMUS board of directors—include an
unprecedented public gathering of Apollo astronauts, including 2019’s
keynote speaker Michael Collins, Charlie Duke, and Harrison
Schmitt. STARMUS V will welcome 12 Nobel laureates to the stage, as
well as luminaries from the worlds of art, science, and music—including
Mr. Eno, Mr. May, Steve Vai, and Rick Wakeman—for six days
of discussion, debate, and engagement across the sciences, from
microbiology and biochemistry to astrophysics and neuroscience. Other
speakers include Sir Martin Rees, Brian Cox, Emmanuelle
Charpentier, and Helen Sharman.
[Members of the STARMUS board: Stephen Hawking (posthumous), Brian
May, Peter Gabriel, Richard Dawkins, Alexei Leonov, Jill Tarter, Robert
Williams, David Eicher, Emmanuelle Charpentier and founder Garik
Israelian.]
According to Garik Israelian, STARMUS founder, the 2019 festival has
been designed to ask tough questions about our place in the universe at
a pivotal point in human history: “The importance of STARMUS V cannot be
understated. At a time when the world retreats to isolationism,
collaboration is needed to strategically present the ideas, evidence,
and challenges we collectively face – and uniquely confront. We believe
the biggest and best achievements of the human race are a result of that
scientific collaboration.”
Tickets are now officially on sale and can be purchased at www.starmus.com.
STARMUS V HONORED PARTNERS
OMEGA and The Stephen Hawking Medal:
OMEGA is a prestigious Swiss watchmaker and member of the Swatch Group
Ltd. Since 1848, the brand has been synonymous with excellence,
innovation, and precision, as well as a pioneering spirit, demonstrated
by its achievements in sports timekeeping, the oceans, and space. In
fact, since 1965, the OMEGA Speedmaster has been worn on each of NASA’s
manned missions including all six moon landings.
Kaspersky Lab:
Kaspersky Lab is a global cybersecurity company, which has been
operating in the market for 21 years. Kaspersky Lab’s deep threat
intelligence and security expertise are constantly transforming into
next-generation security solutions and services to protect businesses,
critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The
company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint
protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services
to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million
users are protected by Kaspersky Lab technologies and we help 270,000
corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.
The STARMUS festival’s other supporters include the International
Astronomical Union, CERN, the European Space Agency, and the European
Southern Observatory.
CQS:
CQS is an investment management firm founded by Sir Michael Hintze in
1999. The Firm’s deep experience allows it to offer solutions for
investors across a range of return objectives and risk appetites. CQS is
an active asset manager with expertise across corporate capital
structures including corporate credit, structured credit, asset backed
securities, convertibles, loans and equities. It is committed to
delivering performance and high levels of service to its investors.
CQS has offices in London, New York, Hong Kong and Sydney. Our investors
include pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds,
funds of funds, endowments and foundations, and private banks.
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