The Heinz Family Foundation has announced the recipients of the twentieth annual Heinz Awards.

Established in 1993 to honor Sen. John Heinz (R-PA), who was killed in a plane crash in 1991, the awards recognize extraordinary individuals for their creativity and determination in finding solutions to critical issues in five areas that were important to Heinz: the arts and humanities; the environment; the human condition; public policy; and technology, the economy, and employment. Each honoree will receive an unrestricted cash prize of $250,000.

This year’s recipients are Roz Chast, an author, illustrator, and cartoonist who finds the humor and shared humanity in the confounding situations we all face; Jake Wood and William McNulty of Team Rubicon, who are re-engaging thousands of U.S. veterans in disaster emergency response; Dr. Frederica Perera, a pioneer in the field of molecular epidemiology who is forging a new understanding of pollution's health effects on pregnant women and their children; Dr. Sangeeta Bhatia, a bioengineer at MIT who applied the process of microchip fabrication to develop artificial human “microlivers” now widely used to screen drugs for toxicity; and Dr. Aaron Wolf, an Oregon State University professor who is applying twenty-first century insights and ingenuity to settle disputes over water, arguably the planet’s most precious resource.

"These remarkable men and women come from different fields and diverse backgrounds, but they share a bedrock conviction in their ability and responsibility as individuals to make a transformative impact on the world and the lives of others," said Teresa Heinz, chair of the Heinz Family Foundation. "They offer an inspiring reminder that the most precious kind of change always comes from those who see past today's limitations to a world of new possibilities and discoveries."