Cancellation of the 2020 Blue Planet Prize Award Ceremony and Related Events

Every year, we look forward to inviting the year's Blue Planet Prize winners and celebrating their outstanding achievements, together with guests from many quarters.

We have been closely monitoring the situation on COVID-19, and after much consideration, we have made the difficult decision to cancel this year's Blue Planet Prize award ceremony and related events scheduled for October 6-10, 2020.

An award certificate, a trophy, and 50 million yen in prize money will be presented to each of the winners.

This was a tough call to make -- the ceremony and events are incredibly important to the Asahi Glass Foundation, and it is our privilege to invite and celebrate the achievements of the winners from around the world -- but we need to prioritize the health and safety of the winners, distinguished guests, and those who attend the events.

Following increased and overwhelming concerns about the COVID-19 virus, we felt this was the best way to proceed during such an unprecedented global situation.

We are disappointed that we are unable to hold these events for the winners and guests, but we know it is the right decision based on the information we have today.

We are also exploring options with our staff to coordinate online commemorative lectures and set up a special webpage about the 2020 Blue Planet Prize winners.

In the meantime, thank you for your patience and understanding, and we look forward to seeing you at the 2021 award ceremony and related events.