Professor Morten Meldal received the Hans Christian Ørsted Award
Professor and Nobel Prize winner Morten Meldal has been honoured with the Hans Christian Ørsted Award 2025 for his pioneering work on click chemistry and his ability to bring science to the public. The award was presented in Rudkøbing on Langeland - Ørsted's birthplace.
The award can be given to individuals, organizations, or institutions. The 2025 Hans Christian Ørsted Award was presented to Professor and Nobel Laurate Morten Meldal for his groundbreaking work in the field of chemistry. Meldal was also honoured for his role as a role model and communicator who brings chemistry into public focus. Many people gathered at Ørstedskolen for the annual presentation of the H.C. Ørsted Research Award.
Morten Meldal received the award for his contributions to science, including his discovery of
“click chemistry”—a method that allows for the simple combination of different molecules into a single molecule. This discovery also earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2022.
The award consists of a grant and a specially designed sculpture. The research award includes a small statuette titled “Butterfly”, made of silver and enamel and mounted on an elmwood base, created by artist Sabine Majus Hansen from Langeland. The title refers to the common—but incorrect—association of H.C. Ørsted with the word “butterfly.” The award also includes a special diploma titled “Hans Christian Ørsted Award.”
The purpose of the Hans Christian Ørsted Award is to highlight Ørsted’s connection to Rudkøbing and Langeland, as well as his significance to science, technology, culture, and the modern world. The award is given to a person, institution, or organization in recognition of their efforts to promote Ørsted’s view of science and spirit as two sides of the same coin. In the selection process, great emphasis is placed on the recipient’s contribution to the development of science and its accessibility to the general public. The Hans Christian Ørsted Award cannot be applied for.
In this regard a special thank you to Jacob Østergaard, Nynne Christinna Kornmaaler Printz, Tonni Hansen, Troels Krøyer, Hans Gammeltoft Hansen og Sabine Majus Hansen.