The Nobel Prize is a set of awards given to individuals or institutions that have significantly contributed in the academic, cultural or scientific field.
The Nobel Prize is administered and awarded in Sweden and Norway by institutions in their own countries. The annual ceremonies take place in Stockholm, Sweden, with the exception of the Nobel Peace Prize, which is awarded in Oslo, Norway.
The Nobel Prize was founded by the will of the Swedish scientist Alfred Nobel, who in his will dedicated his inheritance to create the Nobel Foundation, responsible for rewarding individuals who contribute to the advancement of science and culture. The Nobel Prize is currently considered the most prestigious for intellectual achievements in the world.
The Nobel Prize medal has an image of Alfred Nobel on one face, and the other varies according to the institution awarding the prize. Since 2012 the medals have been minted by the Norwegian Mint.
Altogether the Nobel Prize consists of a medal, a diploma and a sum of money that exceeds 1 million dollars.
The medal is 18 carat green gold and coated in 20 carat gold. On one side is engraved the left profile of Alfred Nobel, creator of the award, and the other side varies according to the institution that awards the award.
Nobel Prize for Literature Diploma awarded to Bob Dylan. Each diploma is a unique work of art, handwritten and with techniques and materials that vary according to the awarded area.
The diplomas are custom-designed for each awardee, containing their name and a brief citation of the reason for the award. The diplomas are delivered in person by the King of Sweden himself or by the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
Types of Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prize comprises five categories: physics, chemistry, literature, physiology or medicine and peace.
Nobel Prize in Physics
The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded to the person or group who has made the most important discovery in the field or invention in the field of physics.
The Nobel Prize for Physics is awarded by the Royal Academy of Sciences of Sweden. Its first winner was physicist Wilhelm Röntgen, discoverer of X-radiation, in 1901.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded to the person or group who made the most important chemical discovery or improvement.
Like the Nobel Prize in Physics, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry is also awarded by the Royal Academy of Sciences in Sweden. Its first winner was chemist Jacobus Henricus van’t Hoff, in 1901, for his discoveries related to chemical kinetics and osmotic pressure in solutions.
Nobel Prize for Literature
The Nobel Prize for Literature is awarded to the person or group who has done the most extraordinary work towards an ideal.
The Nobel Prize for Literature is given by the Swedish Academy. Its first winner was the poet Sully Prudhomme, in 1901, in recognition of “his poetic composition that evidences a sublime idealism, artistic perfection and a rare combination of qualities of the heart and the intellect".
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded to the person or group who made the most important discovery in these areas.
The Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine is given by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Its first winner was microbiologist Emil Adolf von Behring, in 1901, for developing serum therapy against diphtheria.
Nobel Prize of Peace
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to the person, group or institution that has done the best work for the fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of congresses of peace.
The Nobel Peace Prize is the only prize awarded in Norway and judged by a committee elected by the country's parliament. Its first winner was Swiss activist Henry Dunant for founding the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Alfred Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences in Memory
Although not a Nobel Prize, Alfred Nobel's Prize for Economic Sciences in Memory is often confused with one. The prize is not awarded by the Nobel Foundation, but by Sveriges Riksbank, the Central Bank of Sweden.
The Alfred Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences in Memory is awarded to the person, group or institution that has made the most important contribution in the field of economics. The award is given by the Royal Academy of Sciences of Sweden.
The first recipient of the Economic Sciences Award was economist Ragnar Frisch, 1969, for having developed dynamic models to analyze economic processes.
How are winners chosen?
The awards ceremonies are held on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.
The awards process starts in September of the year before the ceremony. The Nobel Committee sends nomination forms to around 3000 individuals, mostly academics. With respect to the Nobel Peace Prize, forms are also sent to governments, previous Nobel Prize winners, and others.
Forms must be returned by January 31 of the year of the award. The committee filters the selection to around 300 candidates. Then, with the help of scholars from the awarded areas, the committee chooses the winners by majority vote. The decision is not appealable. The awards ceremonies are held on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.
The Nobel Prize cannot be awarded to more than three people, but it can be awarded on behalf of institutions with an indeterminate number of individuals. The prize cannot be awarded post mortem (after the candidate's death) either. However, if an individual is elected the winner and then dies, the award proceeds on his behalf.
Famous Nobel Prize Winners
Some famous Nobel Prize winners are:
| Winner) | Area | Reason (as provided in the diploma) |
|---|---|---|
Malala Yousafzai |
Peace | For its efforts against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education. |
barack obama |
Peace | For its extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation among peoples. |
Doctors without Borders |
Peace | In recognition of the organization's pioneering humanitarian work on several continents. |
Nelson Mandela |
Peace | For his work for the peaceful end of the apartheid regime and for building the foundations of a new, democratic South Africa. |
Tenzin Gyatso (14th Dalai Lama) |
Peace | For his efforts for the liberation of Tibet and constant opposition to the use of violence. It advocated for peaceful solutions based on tolerance and mutual respect in order to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of its people. |
Mother Teresa of Calcutta |
Peace | Foundress of the Missionaries of Charity. |
Marie Sklodowska-Curie |
Physics and chemistry | Physics: For his research into radiation phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel; Chemistry: For his discovery of the elements radium and polonium, for the isolation of radium, and for the study of the nature and components of this remarkable element. |
Albert Einstein |
Physics | For his services to theoretical physics and especially for the discovery of the photoelectric effect. |
Ernest Hemingway |
Literature | For his mastery in the art of narrative, most recently demonstrated in The Old Man and the Sea, and for the influence he exerted on contemporary style. |
Albert Camus |
Literature | For his important literary production that, with sincere clarity, illuminates the problems of human conscience in our times. |
Jean Paul Sartre |
Literature | By his work, which rich in ideas and filled with the spirit of freedom and the search for truth, has had a far-reaching influence in our age. |
Pablo Neruda |
Literature | For a poetry that, with the action of an elementary force, brings to life the destiny and dreams of a continent. |
Gabriel Garcia Marquez |
Literature | For his novels and short stories, where the fantastic and the realistic are combined in a richly composed world of imagination, reflecting the life and conflicts of a continent. |
José Saramago |
Literature | Who with parables sustained by imagination, compassion and irony continually allows us to once again apprehend an illusory reality. |
Bob Dylan |
Literature | For having created new poetic expressions within the great tradition of American music. |
