The Fondation L'Oreal and UNESCO - L'Oreal-UNESCO International Rising Talents

L'Oreal-UNESCO International Rising Talents

You get an extra EUR 15,000 on top of the national or regional Young Talents award you already hold. You also join a leadership training course during the For Women in Science Week in Paris, attend the international awards ceremony there, and gain visibility across the scientific community. The Fondation L'Oreal and UNESCO run this award. They pick 15 women scientists each year from five world regions: Africa and the Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North America.

Who can apply

• Prior award: You already won a national or regional Young Talents award from the L'Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science programme, either this year or last year. You cannot apply to Rising Talents directly.
• Invitation: Your local jury invites you to apply. There is no open entry.
• Gender: Only women can apply.
• Level: You are a PhD candidate or a postdoctoral researcher (a researcher who already holds a PhD), including medical doctors who are actively doing research.
• Field: You work in life sciences, physical sciences, engineering, or formal sciences such as mathematics.
• Age: You are under 45 at the application deadline.
• Active research: You are still doing your research at the time of the ceremony.

How to apply

Once your local jury invites you, you apply online in English through forwomeninscience.com. You submit a two-page research description, your key publications, and at least two reference letters. An international selection committee then picks the 15 winners. Deadlines follow your national Young Talents cycle.

How realistic are your chances?

This is a single high-profile award with just 15 winners a year, drawn from more than 250 national and regional Young Talents worldwide, so competition is strong. You cannot enter unless you have already won at national or regional level and been invited. That already marks you as one of the most promising researchers in your country. If you reach that stage with a clear research record, your prospects are as good as anyone's in a small, hand-picked pool.