The Ho-Am Prize is a Korean annual award awarded to "domestic/abroad ethnic Korean who have made outstanding contributions to the development of science and culture and enhancement of the welfare of mankind," often referred to as the Korean equivalent of the Nobel Prize. Awarded since 1991, it is funded by Samsung and named after their former chairman, Lee Byung-chull (Ho-Am is his pen name which means filling up a space with clear water as lakes do, and being unshakeable as a large rock).