Two Chinese Mathematicians Win Fields Medals in Historic Breakthrough

Two Chinese mathematicians, Wang Hong and Deng Yu, have won the 2026 Fields Medal, a historic first for China in the prize often described as mathematics’ equivalent of the Nobel Prize.

The winners were announced July 23 at the opening of the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians in the U.S. Wang and Deng were among four recipients of the award, which is presented every four years to between two and four mathematicians under age 40 in recognition of outstanding achievements and promise for future work.