The Wolf Foundation is a prestigious organization that celebrates and promotes exceptional achievements in the sciences and the arts worldwide. The Wolf Prize is awarded annually and honors exceptional individuals who transcend barriers of religion, gender, race, geography, and political stance. In the scientific domain, the awards are conferred in Medicine, Agriculture, Mathematics, Chemistry, and Physics. In the arts, the awards recognize excellence in Painting and Sculpture, Music, and Architecture.
The prize was jointly awarded to Prof. Alon and Prof. Shamir for their pioneering contributions to mathematical cryptography, combinatorics, and computer science theory.
In the official prize citation, it was stated: "Noga Alon is being awarded the 2024 Wolf Prize for his profound impact on Discrete Mathematics and related areas. His seminal contributions include the development of ingenious techniques in Combinatorics, Graph Theory, and Theoretical Computer Science, and the solution of long-standing problems in these fields as well as in Analytical Number Theory, Combinatorial Geometry, and Information Theory."
For Prof. Shamir, the committee noted: "Adi Shamir is awarded the Wolf Prize for being a truly exceptional scientist and has been the leading force in transforming cryptography into a scientific discipline that is heavily based on Mathematics. His foundational discoveries combine mathematical ingenuity with a range of analytical tools. They had a huge impact on several mathematical areas, advancing both mathematics and society in an unparalleled manner."
The exceptional achievements of Prof. Alon and Prof. Shamir highlight Israeli scientific excellence and its significant contribution to the advancement of human knowledge.