Professor Hannah Fry has been honored with the Leelavati Prize at the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians, recognizing her contribution to increasing public awareness of mathematics.
Hannah Fry is Professor of the Public Understanding of Mathematics in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP) at the University of Cambridge, joining in January 2025 as the first person to hold this role. As a notable communicator in mathematics and science, she has achieved renown and popularity both in the UK and globally, working as a radio broadcaster, author, podcaster, and influential figure on social media. The Leelavati Prize citation highlights her extraordinary impact: ‘Hannah Fry is one of the leading global ambassadors of mathematical thinking,’ the award states, ‘She has become a voice for mathematics that resonates far beyond the audience usually interested in science communication.’
Through a wide range of media, including books, videos, and television programs, Hannah Fry employs creativity and originality to translate mathematics into a language of wonder and relevance for the public, without diminishing its scope and importance. She shares her passion for communicating mathematics: ‘When you like [mathematics], I think you have direct experience of the pure pleasure of it. I feel that there are these wonderful secrets that are completely invisible to almost everyone in the world who are not mathematicians, and it doesn’t make sense to me to keep them to ourselves - I feel that I have this good news that I just want to share.’
The Leelavati Prize, which recognizes exceptional contributions to increasing public awareness of mathematics, is awarded every four years by the International Mathematical Union (IMU) and is announced during the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM). This event brings together thousands of mathematicians from around the world, celebrating the diversity and reach of modern mathematics. The ICM also attracts significant attention as the venue for the announcement of some of the field’s most celebrated awards, including the renowned Fields Medals.
The Leelavati Prize is just the latest of many awards and honors recognizing Hannah Fry’s exceptional work in communication and public engagement, both in academia and mainstream media. In addition to academic recognitions, such as the Christopher Zeeman Medal in 2018 and the Royal Society’s David Attenborough Award in 2024, her major media awards include an Emmy in 2025 for an episode exploring quantum computing in the TV series The Future with Hannah Fry and a Webby Award in 2026 for the podcast The Rest is Science, co-hosted with Michael Stevens. With over 2 million followers on Instagram, she was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential digital creators of 2026.
Hannah Fry also shares her inspiration with the next generation of mathematicians. In 2019, her renowned Ri Christmas Lectures were filmed in front of audiences of hundreds of schoolchildren. Closer to home, earlier this term, she gave the annual Rouse Ball lecture to a packed audience of Cambridge students, followed by communication workshops in mathematics for current undergraduates.
‘Mathematics silently underpins many aspects of modern life and the importance of communicating mathematical ideas to the public has never been greater. Few people have contributed more to that goal than Hannah Fry,’ says Professor Nick Dorey, Head of the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics.
Hannah Fry believes that mathematics is ‘a completely original way of seeing the world.’ ‘And I think that just like with anything in life that you really enjoy, I just want to talk to people about it.’
According to Fry, the limit to someone understanding is never their ability to understand. The limit is always in their motivation to care. And she sees her role as providing that motivation.
‘I think what you need to do,’ she says about the key to connecting with a broad audience, ‘is to create a hole in people’s imagination. If I can create just one moment where you want to know the next part - you know exactly the size and shape you need to satisfy your desire for exactly that piece of information - then everyone is in.’
Listen to this podcast interview with Hannah Fry about winning the Leelavati Prize and discover more about full coverage of ICM 2026 on our Plus outreach platform.
