SIU Prize is an award honoring young talents of Vietnamese descent at home and abroad, striving “for Vietnamese intellectual excellence.”
On the front of the SIU Prize medal is the image of father Lac Long Quan and mother Au Co holding a torch, carrying sacred meaning. The Homeland and the Country are the firm foundation on which generations after generations build their own success, rising to new heights.
Along with the philosophy of “Vietnam’s spirit, global education”, the image of a burning flame represents a burning desire to go further, to reach higher in search of knowledge, in service of elevating the country’s status.
Around the edge of the medal is a clever juxtaposition of meticulous Dong Son drum patterns, the symbols of Vietnamese art, culture, tradition, and national pride. It is also a reminder of gratitude to be devoted to the ancestors who founded this nation; for these bronze drums are the quintessence of the nation’s traditional culture, reflecting the most profound and distinctive features of the wet-rice civilization that the ancient Vietnamese cultivated.
Throughout the ups and downs of history, the legends of land expansion since the days of the Hung Kings are still etched in the mind of every Vietnamese citizen. Compatriotism has always been an internal force of ever-extending and ever-lasting power to create the great unity binding our nation together from past to present and beyond.
The number 2023 on the front of the medal is considered the “golden milestone”, marking the establishment year of the SIU Prize. Awarded in the fields of Computer Science and Health Sciences, SIU Prize celebrates exceptional talents among recent doctoral graduates worldwide who are Vietnamese or of Vietnamese descent whose doctoral theses have been successfully defended within the last 5 years prior to the deadline of the nomination process, based on the conferral date of the doctoral degree. These works will be the foundation for the development of inventions with unlimited future potential
The organizer’s name, award category, award name, and winner’s name shall be fully engraved on the back of all SIU Prize medals. The award name “SIU Prize” is placed in a prominent central position. Surrounding the edge are the Dong Son drum patterns.