Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists wins Miwon Peace Prize

Irina Bokova, chairperson of the Miwon Peace Prize selection committee, speaks at the Grand Peace Palace at Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was named this year's winner of the Miwon Peace Prize. The nonprofit organization was founded in 1945 by Manhattan Project scientists including Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer and is best known for its Doomsday Clock.

Organizers announced the winner on Monday, citing the group's decades-long efforts to raise awareness of existential threats and reshape how the world understands risk. The Doomsday Clock, created as a symbolic measure of how close humans are to causing their own catastrophic disruption, stands at 85 seconds to midnight as of 2026 — the closest it has ever been to the symbolic destruction represented by the end of the countdown. The Bulletin integrates threats including nuclear weapons, climate change and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence into that single global signal.

The award, established by the Kyung Hee University system and its affiliated organizations, honors individuals or institutions whose work advances peace and the future of humanity. It commemorates the legacy of Kyung Hee’s late founder Choue Young-seek, who championed peace initiatives, including the establishment of the U.N. International Day of Peace.

Irina Bokova, chairperson of the selection committee and former UNESCO director-general, said the award recognizes contributions that go beyond achievement to transformation, honoring efforts that challenge conventional thinking and inspire future generations.

“In an era of fragmentation, we asked who is genuinely changing how humanity perceives existential risks and explores a new path to peace,” she said. “What we sought was a voice that speaks before the crisis becomes irreversible.”

Bokova described the Doomsday Clock as "an instrument unlike any other," while the committee also cited the Bulletin's role in fostering international scientific dialogue through its Science and Security Board and Board of Sponsors, even during periods of heightened geopolitical tension. Its educational initiatives targeting younger generations were praised for promoting both awareness and action.

The selection followed a multistage review process involving an international panel, which considered 63 candidates before unanimously recommending the U.S.-based organization.

Choue In-won, chairman of the university system, said the award is not only a recognition of past achievements but an “opportunity to consider our shared responsibility for humanity’s future” in an era of new, interconnected risks.

The award ceremony will be held on Sept. 20 at the Grand Peace Palace at Kyung Hee University, in conjunction with the U.N. International Day of Peace.

Established in 2024, this is the second time the prize has been awarded. Its inaugural winner was The Elders, the independent group of global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007 to promote peace, justice and human rights.