On November 9, the Breakthrough Prize Foundation announced recipients of the 2015 Breakthrough Prizes in Fundamental Physics and Life Sciences. The distinguished winners, in addition to the previously announced recipients in the Mathematics category, will each receive a $3 million prize.

A total of $36 million in prizes to world’s top scientists was handed out by founders Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki, Jack Ma and Cathy Zhang, Yuri and Julia Milner, and Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan at a Silicon Valley gala hosted by Seth MacFarlane and attended by celebrity guests.

The 2015 Breakthrough Prizes in Life Sciences recognize C. David Allis, Victor Ambros, Alim Louis Benabid, Gary Ruvkun, Jennifer A. Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier.

The 2015 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics is a shared honor with Saul Perlmutter, Brian P. Schmidt, and Adam Riess leading a collaboration of 51 total prize recipients who will split the $3 million. The previously announced 2015 Breakthrough Prize winners in Mathematics are Simon Donaldson, Maxim Kontsevich, Jacob Lurie, Terence Tao and Richard Taylor. These recipients were also honored at the ceremony.

Anne Wojcicki, one of the founders, said in a statement, “This year’s life sciences laureates have made some spectacular discoveries, from a new kind of gene to a Parkinson’s treatment that has improved the lives of many.” She continued, “It’s energizing to be in the company of such brilliant and fertile minds.”

Mark Zuckerberg added, “The world faces many fundamental challenges today, and there are many amazing scientists, researchers and engineers helping us solve them.” He continued, “This year’s Breakthrough Prize winners have made discoveries that will help cure disease and move the world forward. They deserve to be recognized as heroes.”

According to breakthroughprize.org, the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics was founded in 2012 by Yuri Milner to recognize those individuals who have made profound contributions to human knowledge. It is open to all physicists — theoretical, mathematical, experimental — working on the deepest mysteries of the Universe.