Founder of Monlam AI Honoured with Snow Lion Prize for Preserving Tibetan Language
By Tenzin Chokyi
DHARAMSALA, 27 Oct: Geshe Lobsang Monlam, founder and CEO of the Monlam AI, the pioneering Tibetan-language artificial intelligence initiative, was awarded the International Campaign for Tibet’s human rights prize, “Snow Lion”, for his trailblazing work in IT to preserve the Tibetan language and culture.
Richard Gere, chairman of the board of the ICT, presented the award, endowed with 3,000 euros, to Geshe Monlam Tharchin and Dr. Sophie Richardson, a veteran human rights activist and China specialist on 25th October at Berlin Environmental Forum in front of more than 150 guests.
Upon receiving the award, Geshe Monlam expressed gratitude on behalf of his team for the recognition and emphasized the importance of finding ways to ensure the survival of the Tibetan language and culture in a rapidly changing world.
“Dr Lobsang Monlam’s life is not just a biography – it reflects the Tibetan spirit itself: resilient, innovative and of enduring compassion. With monumental projects such as the 223-volume ‘grand Tibetan Dictionary’ and the Monlam AI software, he ensures that the voice of Tibet will also sound clear, powerful and timeless in the future”, said Tulku Tenzin Thoesam Rinpoche, a member of the executive board of Tibet House Germany Deutschland, who spoke in praise of the honouree at the award ceremony.”
Through initiatives like Monlam AI, the first Tibetan language AI tool, and the monumental Grand Tibetan Dictionary, Geshe Lobsang Monlam has made a lasting contribution to preserving and promoting Tibetan language, culture, and knowledge in the digital age. By combining traditional scholarship with modern technology, his work ensures that Tibetan heritage remains accessible, vibrant, and relevant for future generations.
Launched publicly in November 2023, Monlam AI provides advanced tools for the Tibetan community, including machine translation, optical character recognition (OCR), speech-to-text, and text-to-speech capabilities. These models enable the digitization, translation, and vocalization of Tibetan texts, making centuries of knowledge more widely accessible.
Complementing this, the Grand Tibetan Dictionary, which took over 20 years to complete and spans 223 volumes with over 360,000 entries, covers religious, literary, scientific, and modern terminology, providing an unparalleled reference for scholars and the general public alike. Together, these projects exemplify Monlam’s dedication to preserving Tibetan language and culture through innovative and practical solutions.
With the Snow Lion Prize, ICT honours individuals, such as Geshe Lobsang Monlam, and organizations in recognition of their special achievements in the field of politics, society, and culture in relation to Tibet and China, East Turkestan, southern Mongolia, Hong Kong, or Taiwan.
The Snow Lion Prize, awarded by the ICT, originally recognised excellence in journalism on Tibet (2011-2022). Since 2022, it has been transformed into a human rights prize worth €3,000, honoring exceptional achievements in politics, society, and culture related to Tibet and other regions under Chinese control.
The past recipients include, anthropologist and China researcher Adrian Zenz and to the Tibet Film Festival in 2022, and Tibetan activist Lhadon Tethong, Co-Founder/Director of Tibet Action Institute, in 2024.
