Scholar Faces Scrutiny Over Controversial Award

Florent Montaclair, a French academic, won the Gold Medal of Philology in 2016, an accolade often compared to the Nobel Prize in prestige.

The award ceremony took place at the National Assembly in Paris. It attracted various former government officials and notable scholars, as reported by the French newspaper L’Est Republicain. During his time in Paris, Montaclair also convened with eight French Nobel laureates.

Interestingly, many of Montaclair’s new acquaintances seemed unaware of a potential conflict of interest: he was the creator of the Gold Medal of Philology himself.

This award was presented by the International Society of Philology, linked to a so-called University of Philology and Education in Lewes, Delaware—though this institution does not appear to actually exist. Reports suggest Montaclair may have founded the society.

In a curious twist, the Society has claimed that it awarded esteemed linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky an honorary medal in November 2016.

A video captured Montaclair and Chomsky speaking together at an event arranged by Philosophie Magazine and the Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles. “The International Society of Philology is very proud that you have accepted to be the laureate of this Gold Medal of Philology,” Montaclair stated during the presentation. He then showed the audience the gold medal before handing it to Chomsky.

However, Chomsky later informed Romanian journalists in 2019 that he had “[n]o recollection” of ever receiving such an honor. An investigation from Romanian reporters noted that the Society once listed Chomsky as its honorary chairman. It concluded that Montaclair likely concocted a fictitious award to elevate his own profile.

In response to the investigation, Montaclair remarked, “[I]t is very, very, very strange for the Romanian press to take interest in purely internal affairs…” He mentioned that it would be odd for others to scrutinize a situation like a Romanian university awarding an honorary degree to a foreign national. Montaclair also pointed out that the Society awarded recognition to Romanian historian Eugen Simion that same year.

Montaclair’s alleged fraudulent activities gained traction in France by 2025, when a colleague recalled earlier rumors from Romania, according to the BBC.

French police conducted a search of Montaclair’s residence on February 11, leading to his arrest.

“This is not a hoax; it’s an attempt by the academic world to create a scholarly distinction, an aborted attempt,” Montaclair told Le Monde.

Defending both the International Society of Philology and the so-called university, he claimed that in the U.S., “[Y]ou can call any entity a ‘university.’” Montaclair insisted that the Gold Medal of Philology was not fake, arguing, “to say that this gold medal is a fake assumes that there is a real one being used as a reference.”

Whether this line of reasoning will withstand legal examination remains uncertain.