Every year, Uppsala University awards the Oscar Prize to young researchers at Uppsala University, who "through scientific writing have made themselves most deserving and offer the greatest promise for continued academic writings at the university". The prize consists of the annual yield of Oscar II's jubilee donation from 1877 and can be shared between two equally deserving researchers.
The 2021 Oscar Prize is shared by Ashish KC and Pontus Ekberg.
Ashish KC has worked with several different interventions to improve the immediate care of new-borns who need help to start breathing, which has led to better health and survival. Following his dissertation in 2016, Ashish KC has established a research institute in his home country Nepal and built a broad international network. His studies on how the quality of maternal and child health care in resource-poor environments can be strengthened have received much attention and have influenced policies locally in Nepal as well as globally.