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The Pirelli Internetional Award, originating from 1996, was the first international multimedia competition for the communication of science & technology conducted entirely on the internet. Awards are granted every calendar year to the best multimedia presentations that concern one of three main themes for the diffusion of science and technology: multimedia oriented toward physics, chemistry, mathematics and life sciences, and the enabling information and communication technologies that package, deliver, present and define multimedia itself. The award was established in the belief that the diffusion of social, economic and technological advances are as important as their discovery. As the name indicates, it is sponsored by the Pirelli corporation.

Contents 1 Judging 2 Award Categories 2.1 Physics 2.2 Chemistry 2.3 Mathematics 2.4 Life Sciences 2.5 Information and Communications Technology (ICT) 2.6 Top Pirelli Prize 3 Past Award Winners 4 Reference

An international jury of notable people including Nobel Prize laureates reviews the top entries.

With an overall budget prize of 105,000 euro (about US$ 130,000), awards are granted in the following major categories: physics, chemistry, mathematics, life sciences, and information and communications technology (ICT).

This category awards the best multimedia works coming from the field of physics. Special credit will be given to those works aimed at describing or safeguarding the environment. The physics category award amounts to 15,000 euro.

This category awards the best multimedia works coming from the field of chemistry. Special credit will be given to those works aimed at describing or safeguarding the environment. The chemistry category award amounts to 15,000 euro.

This section awards the best multimedia work coming from the field of mathematics. The mathematics category award amounts to 15,000 euro.

This section awards the best multimedia work coming from the field of life sciences. Special credit will be given to those works aimed at describing or safeguarding the environment. The life sciences category award amounts to 15,000 euro.

This special section prize selects and evaluates, in collaboration with Telecom Italia Lab, those multimedia works which represent a relevant contribution to ICTs, an award through which the international Jury underlines the growing importance of new technologies. The prize is awarded to the best multimedia presentation of a product, process or service of or for Information and Communication Technologies. The ICT prize amounts to 15,000 euro.

The Top Pirelli Prize is the utmost additional recognition that the international jury grants to the multimedia works which best represent the philosophy of the Pirelli Internetional Award. In fact, the Top Pirelli Prize is the overall winner. It amounts to an additional 10,000 euro, on top of the prize check granted in any of the five regular categories. The Top Pirelli Prize was first awarded in 2001 (five years after the inception of the Pirelli Award) to Prof. Robert C. Michelson for his work on the Entomopter, a biologically inspired insect-like aerial robot.

Winners of the Pirelli Award (First Prize for best from any educational institution and Top Pirelli Prize):

1996 First Prize: Elisa Manacorda (Italy) for GalileoNet.it

1997 First Prize: Marc Ziegler (Switzerland) for sgich1.unifr.ch/visu.html

1998 First Prize: Jurgen Renn (Germany) for the Institute and Museum of the History of Science

1999 First Prize: Ericsson Medialab (Sweden) for Warriors of the Net

2000 First Prize: Roberto Fieschi (INFM, Italy) for maccw.sns.it/technet

2001 First Prize and Top Pirelli Prize: Robert C. Michelson (Georgia Institute of Technology, USA) for the Entomopter Project

2002 First Prize and Top Pirelli Prize: Howard Hughes Medical Institute (USA) for Virtual Labs

2003 First Prize and Top Pirelli Prize: David Grubin Productions, Thirteen/WNET and Docstar (USA) for Secret Life of the Brain

2004 First Prize and Top Pirelli Prize: Patrick J. Lynch (Yale University, USA) for the Yale-New Haven Medical Center

2005 First Prize and Top Pirelli Prize: Roeland van der Marel and Gijs Verdoes Kleijn (Space Telescope Science Institute, Netherlands/USA) and Educational Web Adventures (Netherlands/USA) for Black Holes: Gravity's Relentless Pull

• Official Pirelli Award web site - Describes the purpose, categories, history, and rules for winning a Pirelli Award. (Retrieved 22 January 2006)