Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prizes are special awards given each year to honor people who have done great work for the good of humanity. They began in 1901, five years after the death of Alfred Nobel, a man who wanted to reward discoveries and actions that help all of us. The first Nobel Prizes were given in five areas: physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace.

Later, in 1968, a sixth prize was added: the Prize in Economic Sciences, thanks to Sweden's central bank, Sveriges Riksbank. Each winner, called a laureate, gets a beautiful green gold medal covered in 24 karat gold, a special diploma, and a large amount of money. As of 2023, the money award was about US$1,035,000.

These prizes are given every year, except in special times like wars. No more than three people can share a prize together, but the Nobel Peace Prize can go to groups with more than three people. The Nobel Prizes are considered the highest honor in each of these fields, and many amazing scientists, writers, and peace workers have been recognized with them.

History

Alfred Nobel was born on 21 October 1833 in Stockholm, Sweden. He was a chemist, engineer, and inventor. Nobel invented dynamite and amassed a fortune through his many inventions.

Nobel’s will, written in 1895, surprised many by stating that his wealth should fund prizes for those who bring the “greatest benefit to mankind” in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace. The Nobel Foundation was created to manage these prizes. The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901.

Nobel Foundation

Main article: Nobel Foundation

The Nobel Foundation was established in 1900 to manage the money and organize the prizes. It invests its funds to keep the prizes going strong. The foundation is not involved in choosing the winners.

Inaugural Nobel prizes

The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901. The Physics Prize went to Wilhelm Röntgen for discovering X-rays. The Chemistry Prize was awarded to Jacobus van 't Hoff for his work in chemical thermodynamics. The Literature Prize went to the poet Sully Prudhomme. The Physiology or Medicine Prize was awarded to Emil von Behring for developing a treatment for diphtheria. The first Nobel Peace Prize was shared by Jean Henri Dunant, who helped start the International Red Cross Movement, and Frédéric Passy, a French peace activist.

Prize in Economic Sciences

Main article: Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences

In 1968, Sweden’s central bank donated money to create a prize in economic sciences. The first Economics Prize was awarded in 1969 to Jan Tinbergen and Ragnar Frisch for their work in economic models.

Award process

The process for choosing Nobel Prize winners is similar for all the prizes, but who can suggest candidates differs for each prize. Each year, around 3,000 experts receive forms to nominate possible winners. These nominees are kept secret for 50 years.

A group of experts helps each prize’s awarding institution choose the winners. The institutions include the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for Physics, Chemistry, and Economics, the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for Medicine, the Swedish Academy for Literature, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee for Peace. Each institution votes to pick up to three winners per prize. The winners are announced in October.

Sometimes, people who died just before the announcement still received the prize, but today winners must be alive when the prize is announced.

Award ceremonies and related events

Except for the Peace Prize, the Nobel Prizes are given out in Stockholm, Sweden, on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. The Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway, on the same day. These ceremonies are big events, with special lectures and banquets. In Stockholm, the prizes are presented at the Stockholm Concert Hall, followed by a banquet at Stockholm City Hall. In Oslo, the Peace Prize is presented at Oslo City Hall.

After the ceremony in Sweden, there is a banquet at Stockholm City Hall for around 1,300 guests, including the Swedish Royal Family. The Peace Prize banquet in Norway is held at the Oslo Grand Hotel and includes about 250 guests, such as the president of the Storting and sometimes the King and Queen of Norway. Each Nobel winner must give a public lecture about their prize topic during Nobel Week or within six months of receiving the award.

Prizes

The Nobel Prizes are special awards given to people who have done great work for the benefit of humanity. The prizes began in 1901 and are given in five areas: physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace. Each winner receives a medal, a diploma, and money.

The Nobel Prize medals all show a picture of Alfred Nobel, the man who started the prizes. The medals are made of gold and have different designs on the back depending on the prize. Winners also get a diploma from the King of Sweden, and a monetary award that changes each year. In 2025, each prize was worth about 11 million Swedish kronor, which is roughly US$1.035 million.

Statistics

Some amazing facts about Nobel Prize winners include:

• The youngest Nobel Prize winner was Malala Yousafzai, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at age 17.
• The oldest Nobel Prize winner was John B. Goodenough, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2019 at age 97.
• The United States has had the most Nobel laureates, with 403 winners as of 2022.

Some special winners include:

• Linus Pauling and Marie Skłodowska-Curie, each won Nobel Prizes in two different areas.
• Several married couples have both won Nobel Prizes, including the Curie team who won for Physics in 1903.

Some years had no Nobel Prizes awarded in certain categories, especially during World War II.

Specially distinguished laureates

Five individuals have been awarded two Nobel Prizes. Marie Skłodowska-Curie is the only person to receive Nobel Prizes in two different sciences: Physics in 1903 for her work on radioactivity and Chemistry in 1911 for isolating pure radium. John Bardeen also received the Physics Prize twice, in 1956 for inventing the transistor and in 1972 for his work on superconductivity. Frederick Sanger received the Chemistry Prize twice, in 1958 and 1980, for his important contributions to understanding insulin and DNA.

Some families have multiple Nobel laureates. The Curie family stands out, with four prizes awarded to five family members. Besides Marie, her husband Pierre Curie and their daughter Irène Joliot-Curie also won Nobel Prizes. Other families, like the Moser family, also have multiple laureates, showing how the Nobel Prize can run in families.

Reception and controversies

The Nobel Prizes have sometimes sparked debate. Critics argue that the committees may have political motives or overlook worthy candidates. There have been concerns about a European focus, especially for the Literature Prize.

One famous example involved the Peace Prize awarded to Henry Kissinger and Lê Đức Thọ in 1973 for negotiating a ceasefire in the Vietnam War. Some felt Kissinger was not a peacemaker and had actually expanded the war.

The Literature Prize has also faced criticism. In 2004, a member of the Swedish Academy resigned over the award to Elfriede Jelinek, calling her work poorly structured. The 2019 award to Peter Handke drew criticism due to his denial of the Bosnian genocide.

In the sciences, the 1949 Physiology or Medicine Prize to António Egas Moniz for developing the prefrontal lobotomy drew later concern due to ethical issues with the procedure.

Many feel deserving individuals have been missed, including Mahatma Gandhi, who was nominated five times but never won. The strict rule of awarding to no more than three people has also caused debate, as important contributors sometimes miss out.

Refusals and constraints

Two Nobel laureates chose not to accept their prizes. In 1964, writer Jean-Paul Sartre refused the Literature Prize, feeling that being an institution would change his work. In 1973, Lê Đức Thọ declined the Peace Prize because he believed there was still no real peace in Vietnam.

Sometimes, governments have stopped people from accepting their prizes. For example, in 1958, Boris Pasternak was afraid to travel to receive his Literature Prize because of his government’s rules. Later, in 1989, his son accepted the prize for him.

Impact

Cultural

The Nobel Prize is a worldwide symbol of scientific and literary achievement and often appears in films and television shows. Some movies, like The Prize and The Wife, feature fictional Nobel laureates, while others tell stories about real prizes.

In 2008, a statue called the Planet of Alfred Nobel was unveiled at Alfred Nobel University in Dnipro, Ukraine. The statue shows reliefs of 802 Nobel laureates.