The Sjöberg Prize is awarded as a partnership between the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Sjöberg Foundation. The Sjöberg Foundation also finances the prize. The Foundation was founded in 2016, and the first prize was announced in February 2017.
The foundation was founded in 2016 by businessman Bengt Sjöberg, who donated two billion Swedish kronor to promote scientific research, with the main focus on cancer, health and the environment. Bengt Sjöberg was originally from Lysekil, but worked in the logistics industry in Hong Kong, where he lived and built his fortune. He decided to establish the foundation when he was diagnosed with cancer.
The first Sjöberg Prize was announced in February 2017. Since then, it has been awarded annually to one or more people who have made decisive contributions to cancer research. The prize money is the equivalent of one million US dollars, with 100,000 dollars in the form of a personal prize and 900,000 dollars that the laureate must use for continued cancer research. The laureates are primarily scientists who are expected to make significant contributions to cancer research in the future. Nominees should be below the age of 60.
Every year, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences invites leading researchers to nominate candidates for the Sjöberg Prize. Nominees are then evaluated by a Prize Committee, whose members are appointed by the Academy for a three-year period. The Committee also engages external experts to review the leading candidates.
The decision to award the Sjöberg Prize is made by the Academy of Sciences as a whole, and then confirmed by the Board of the Sjöberg Foundation. The announcement of the laureate(s) usually takes place in February, and the Prize is awarded at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Sciences at the end of March.