This mathematics award was born from the fight to make known the truth about the Audin affair: at the age of 25, the young mathematician and communist activist was tortured to death in Algeria by French soldiers. Created in 1958 by Laurent Schwarzt just one year after his assassination, the prize ended in 1963 with the end of the Algerian war. Forty-one years later, it was reintroduced by the will of the Josette and Maurice Audin association, with the sponsorship of the Society of Applied and Industrial Mathematics (SMAI) and the Mathematical Society of France (SMF). It has since been awarded to two winners: an Algerian mathematician practicing in Algeria and a French mathematician practicing in France. This Tuesday, April 7, the signing of an agreement will take place at the Academy of Sciences to perpetuate this prize: “A strong gesture in favor of a science that brings people together beyond borders”, according to the stakeholders. A strong gesture also for memory. Cédric Villani, actor in all the fights to have the truth about Maurice Audin recognized – something done in 2018 by Emmanuel Macron – will take this opportunity to give a speech on the man and his struggles.
