2026 Kinal and Thnot d’Or Awards: Recognising Cambodia’s Next Generation of Scientists

Before an audience of nearly three hundred people, the Kinal Foundation unveiled on the morning of 12 September the winners of the 14th Kinal Prize and the 6th Thnot d’Or Prize (Thnot d’Or 2026). The ceremony took place at the Foundation’s headquarters, on the site of the PPM-Confirel factories in Chom Chao, under the high patronage of H.E. Ke Ky, Secretary of State representing H.E. Hem Vandy, Minister of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, and of Dr Hay Ly Eang, President of the Kinal Foundation and Chairman and CEO of the PPM-Confirel Group.

The two 2026 competitions shared a common thread: research on probiotic drinks and foods made from local Cambodian raw materials. The Thnot d’Or focused specifically on “the creation of innovative probiotic beverages from local Cambodian raw materials,” while the Kinal Prize explored “the links between probiotic beverages produced in Cambodia and the general well-being of the population.” The theme was chosen to bring together three worlds that have long remained separate: agriculture, agri-food processing and public health.

Winners of the 14th Kinal Prize

•1st Prize: Antioxidant properties of fermented juices made from noni grown in Cambodia and their effect on sleep quality — team from the Health Science Institute of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (Health Science Institute of RCAF).

•2nd Prize: Perceptions, attitudes, perceived well-being and consumption behaviours of residents of Siem Reap province towards probiotic beverages made from local Cambodian raw materials — team from Puthisastra University (UP).

•3rd Prize: Assessment of the gastrointestinal health of university students in relation to the consumption of fermented probiotic beverages made from Cambodian plants: a mixed-methods study — team from the University of Health Sciences (UHS).

Winners of the 6th Thnot d’Or Prize

•1st Prize: Processing of cashew apple and cashew nut into a probiotic beverage and a probiotic yoghurt — team of five students from the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC), led by Vuth Soumaylee.

•2nd Prize: Development of a plant-based probiotic beverage from hibiscus flower extracts (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) and pineapple peel — team of five students from the Institute of Technology of Kampong Speu, led by Kun Sovanlyza.

•3rd Prize: Creation of an innovative probiotic beverage made from local Cambodian raw materials, named Golden CoCo — team of six students from the National Institute of Agriculture at Prek Leap, led by Tol Mengleang.

The six winning teams, drawn from six different Cambodian higher education institutions, were selected following two elimination finals — on 29 August for the Thnot d’Or and on 5 September for the Kinal Prize — each pitting nine finalist teams defending their work before an independent jury. The evaluations were presented by Assistant Professor Tol Bunkea, Head of the Epidemiology Department at the National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control, and President of the Kinal jury, and by Mr Lao Reasey, Deputy Director of the Department of Intellectual Property at the Ministry of Commerce, President of the Thnot d’Or jury.

“Not Stopping at the Laboratory”

In his address, H.E. Ke Ky issued a clear call to Cambodia’s young researchers: “We must ensure that research results lead to concrete practical applications — creating new products, new technologies, new companies, new jobs and added value for the national economy.” For the Ministry’s representative, giving students the opportunity to carry out applied research on local resources — cashew nuts, mango, pineapple, hibiscus, palm juice — is “an investment in the country’s future.”

Dr Hay Ly Eang, for his part, highlighted the progress made since the creation of the Kinal Prize in 2013 and the Thnot d’Or in 2018: “Every year, these two programmes show us that Cambodian youth have the ability to turn the riches of their land into concrete solutions for health and for rural development.” He added that Cambodian research must now take one further step — moving from the laboratory to the product, and then to the market, including exports.

A Momentum Taking Root Over Time

Since its launch in 2013, the Kinal Prize has mobilised more than 2,443 candidates in 468 teams, with a total of 39 winning teams representing 183 students. The Thnot d’Or Prize, launched in 2018 for students in agriculture and agri-food processing, has attracted more than 1,136 candidates in 181 teams, including 24 winning teams (144 students) from eleven higher education institutions.