The Real Reason for Perelman’s Refusal of the Million Dollar Prize

In 1904, the Poincaré conjecture was formulated and remained unsolved for over a century. It is one of the most fundamental problems in topology – a branch of mathematics that studies the properties of shapes that remain unchanged under deformations. The proof was considered so complex that it was included in the list of “Millennium Prize Problems.”
In 2002–2003, Grigori Perelman published a series of papers on arXiv where he presented the solution. His texts totaled only about 70 pages – surprisingly little for such a problem, considering that hundreds of mathematicians had unsuccessfully tried to approach a solution for decades. The verification took several years, and ultimately, it was Perelman who was recognized as the author of the definitive proof. In 2010, the Clay Institute awarded him a million dollars.
Perelman refused. Many considered him crazy, living in a parallel reality, but the reason was different. He was disappointed with the scientific community. In interviews, Perelman stated that conformity thrives in mathematics: those who violate ethical norms remain respected, while dissenters find themselves isolated.
He was particularly affected by the situation surrounding Chinese mathematicians Sipin Zhu and Huaidong Cao, who, under the guidance of Yau Shing-Tung, rewrote the proof in the form of a monograph, attempting to downplay Perelman’s contribution. This caused criticism in the academic community, but there were no serious consequences.
Refusing the prize became a principled gesture for Perelman. He rejected the system of awards and public recognition, believing that the true value of mathematics lies not in money or medals.