The Amalienborg Prize was established by Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik shortly after the change of throne in 1972. This year, the prize is awarded in honour of Queen Margrethe’s 85th birthday earlier in the year, and the recipient of this special award is researcher and professor Eske Willerslev.
The prize is awarded in recognition of Eske Willerslev’s groundbreaking research into human prehistory and his significant efforts in communicating complex science to the public in an engaging and accessible manner.
The Amalienborg Prize is given to an organisation or individual who makes a significant scientific or cultural contribution to society. The award includes a monetary sum of DKK 250,000 as well as the Amalienborg Medal, created by Professor Mogens Bøggild in 1983. The presentation of the 2025 Amalienborg Prize took place in Christian IX’s Palace at Amalienborg on 10 December.
As a Doctor of Science (dr.scient.) in biology and ancient DNA research, Eske Willerslev has, among other achievements, carried out the first complete mapping of an ancient human’s genome and demonstrated that humans lived in what is now the United States around 14,000 years ago.
Photos: Kongehuset/The Royal House
Photos: Kongehuset/The Royal House
Photos: Kongehuset/The Royal House