The annual Nagoya Medal of Organic Chemistry is gaining wider prominence now that it has been recognized that two of the three recipients of this year's Nobel Prize in chemistry were previous winners of the award.
The medal, which recognizes the work of organic chemists worldwide, is known in Japan as the nation's most prestigious chemistry award but is less famous outside that field. Thanks to the Nobel Prize, that's changing.
The award was initially proposed in 1995 by professor Ryoji Noyori, who won the Nobel chemistry prize in 2001, and professor Hisashi Yamamoto, 73. The latter has since left the university to join Chubu University, but both wanted "an award for organic chemistry associated with Nagoya."