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World-renowned philosopher elevates public discourse and illuminates ethical and civic questions of our time
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Berggruen Institute today named political philosopher Michael Sandel as the 2025 Laureate of the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy & Culture. One of the world's leading thinkers and public intellectuals, Sandel has profoundly impacted how we think about justice, ethics, markets, and democracy today. The $1 million award is given annually to individuals whose ideas shape human self-understanding and advancement in a rapidly changing world.
"Professor Sandel's work has left a profound mark on the global intellectual landscape. His critiques of neoliberalism, meritocratic ideology, and populism speak to the most urgent questions of our time," said Yuk Hui, Chair of the Berggruen Prize Jury. Other jury members include Roger Ames, Antonio Damasio, Francis Fukuyama, Siri Hustvedt, Carlo Rovelli, and Elif Shafak.
A graduate of Brandeis University, Sandel received his doctorate in 1981 from Balliol College, University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar under philosopher Charles Taylor. He has had a decades-long career at Harvard University where he currently serves as the Anne T. and Robert M. Professor of Government. Notably, his course "Justice" was the first to be made freely available online and on television, reaching 40 million viewers. His books have been widely translated and include lauded publications such as Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? (2009), The Tyranny of Merit (2020), and Equality: What It Means and Why It Matters, co-authored with Thomas Piketty (2025).
"Michael Sandel's significant body of work is deserving of the Berggruen Institute's lifetime achievement award recognizing intellectual thought of the highest caliber and global impact," said Nicolas Berggruen, Chairman and Founder of the Berggruen Institute. "Given our world in flux, his illumination of what it means to be a good human and his infusion of ethics and reasoning into public discourse are necessary."
Michael Sandel was selected for the Berggruen Prize from hundreds of nominees in the fields of philosophy, social science, economics, human rights, physics, literature, and beyond, and joins an esteemed cohort of Laureates, including Patricia Hill Collins (2023), Kojin Karatani (2022), Peter Singer (2021), Paul Farmer (2020), Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2019), Martha C. Nussbaum (2018), Onora O'Neill (2017), and Charles Taylor (2016). Sandel will receive the prize in spring 2026 at a celebration in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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World-renowned philosopher elevates public discourse and illuminates ethical and civic questions of our time
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Berggruen Institute today named political philosopher Michael Sandel as the 2025 Laureate of the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy & Culture. One of the world's leading thinkers and public intellectuals, Sandel has profoundly impacted how we think about justice, ethics, markets, and democracy today. The $1 million award is given annually to individuals whose ideas shape human self-understanding and advancement in a rapidly changing world.
"Professor Sandel's work has left a profound mark on the global intellectual landscape. His critiques of neoliberalism, meritocratic ideology, and populism speak to the most urgent questions of our time," said Yuk Hui, Chair of the Berggruen Prize Jury. Other jury members include Roger Ames, Antonio Damasio, Francis Fukuyama, Siri Hustvedt, Carlo Rovelli, and Elif Shafak.
A graduate of Brandeis University, Sandel received his doctorate in 1981 from Balliol College, University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar under philosopher Charles Taylor. He has had a decades-long career at Harvard University where he currently serves as the Anne T. and Robert M. Professor of Government. Notably, his course "Justice" was the first to be made freely available online and on television, reaching 40 million viewers. His books have been widely translated and include lauded publications such as Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? (2009), The Tyranny of Merit (2020), and Equality: What It Means and Why It Matters, co-authored with Thomas Piketty (2025).
"Michael Sandel's significant body of work is deserving of the Berggruen Institute's lifetime achievement award recognizing intellectual thought of the highest caliber and global impact," said Nicolas Berggruen, Chairman and Founder of the Berggruen Institute. "Given our world in flux, his illumination of what it means to be a good human and his infusion of ethics and reasoning into public discourse are necessary."
Michael Sandel was selected for the Berggruen Prize from hundreds of nominees in the fields of philosophy, social science, economics, human rights, physics, literature, and beyond, and joins an esteemed cohort of Laureates, including Patricia Hill Collins (2023), Kojin Karatani (2022), Peter Singer (2021), Paul Farmer (2020), Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2019), Martha C. Nussbaum (2018), Onora O'Neill (2017), and Charles Taylor (2016). Sandel will receive the prize in spring 2026 at a celebration in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Press contact:
Send/Receive
office@sendreceive.eu
+49 30 97996370
Photo: https://mma.prnasia.com/media2/2793229/Berggruen_Institute_Prof_Michael_Sandel.jpg?p=medium600
Logo: https://mma.prnasia.com/media2/2793228/Berggruen_Institute_logo.jpg?p=medium600
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
$1 MILLION BERGGRUEN PHILOSOPHY PRIZE AWARDED TO MICHAEL SANDEL
ALULA, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the official opening of Desert X AlUla 2026, the landmark fourth edition of the international, open-air biennial exhibition. Arts AlUla, in collaboration with Desert X, welcomes visitors to experience a stellar line-up of Saudi and international multi-generational artists whose site-responsive earthworks, sculptures, and installations will engage in a powerful dialogue with the awe-inspiring landscapes and layered heritage of AlUla.
As a premier destination rich in ancient history and breathtaking nature, AlUla, located in Northwest Saudi Arabia, solidifies its position on the global stage as a dynamic, emerging land art destination with Desert X AlUla, the region's first public art biennale, and a key highlight of the AlUla Arts Festival.
The 2026 edition of Desert X AlUla brings together 11 acclaimed artists whose diverse works reflect a wide spectrum of ideas, materials, and traditions. From monumental kinetic sculpture to sound-based explorations above and below ground, each commission is deeply rooted in relationships to AlUla's distinctive environment, further cementing Desert X AlUla's reputation as a globally significant platform for site-responsive land art.
Desert X AlUla runs until February 28, 2026, as a cornerstone of the annual AlUla Arts Festival. Curated by Wejdan Reda, Zoé Whitley, with artistic direction by Neville Wakefield, and Raneem Farsi, its fourth edition explores 'Space Without Measure.' Inspired by Kahlil Gibran, the theme fosters contemplation of imagination within AlUla's natural settings. The exhibition, set in the desert canyons of AlUla, serves as a pre-opening programme for Wadi AlFann, offering a pivotal glimpse into AlUla's plans to create a permanent land art 'Valley of the Arts.'
Hamad Alhomiedan, Director of Arts & Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), said: "At Desert X AlUla 2026, audiences will engage with art that deeply converses with AlUla's unique landscapes and rich heritage. These compelling commissions highlight AlUla's dynamic transformation into a major global destination, where ancient and contemporary expressions converge. This exhibition is part of our broader revitalisation of AlUla as a culturally rich destination to live, work and visit and integral to positioning AlUla in the global dialogue of contemporary art and as a precursor to monumental projects like Wadi AlFann."
Participating artist/artworks are:
- Sara Abdu, A Kingdom Where No One Dies: Contours of Resonance
- Mohammad Alfaraj, What was the Question Again?
- Mohammed AlSaleem, The Thorn, AlShuruf Unit, The Triangles, Flower Bud, and Al Ahilla (courtesy of Royal Commission for Riyadh City)
- Tarek Atoui, The Water Song
- Bahraini-Danish, Bloom
- Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Imole Red
- Agnes Denes, The Living Pyramid
- Ibrahim El-Salahi, Haraza Tree
- Basmah Felemban, Murmur of Pebbles
- Vibha Galhotra, Future Fables
- Héctor Zamora, Tar HyPar
For further information, please contact:
Sabrine.Shaw@bursonglobal.com
AlUlaArtsFestival@bursonglobal.com
Multimedia gallery:
High-resolution photos of all 11 artists and their artworks can be found here.
About AlUla and Arts AlUla
Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.
The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and Jabal Ikmah, an open air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages. AlUla Old Town Village, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes was developed from at least the 12th century and has been revitalised as the vibrant hub for visitors and residents.
The creation of Arts AlUla within The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is a commitment to crafting the next chapters in a millennia of artistic creation – celebrating cultural inheritance and shaping a future inspired by artists built be artists. The work of Arts AlUla seeks to preserve this legacy: fuse the old with the new; the local with the international, keeping the arts central to the spirit of AlUla as a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage.
Wadi AlFann, meaning 'Valley of the Arts,' will be a global cultural destination for land art, unveiling from 2028 onwards, where era-defining works by artists from around the world will be permanently sited in the monumental landscape of AlUla, the extraordinary desert region of north-west Saudi Arabia.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Desert X AlUla 2026: monumental land art exhibition opens in the ancient oasis of AlUla
