A view of a bust of Alfred Nobel outside the Norwegian Nobel Institute, where the laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize is announced, in Oslo, Norway. File photo
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The beginning of October means Nobel Prize season. This is when the Nobel committees get together in Stockholm and Oslo to announce the winners of the yearly awards. Six days, six prizes, new faces from around the globe added to the world’s most elite roster of scientists, writers, economists and human rights leaders.
2024’s Nobel Prize announcements will take place from 7–14 October. All of the announcements will be streamed live at nobelprize.org and the Nobel Prize YouTube channel.
Also read: Things to know about the Nobel Prizes
List of prizes
- Physiology or Medicine – Monday (October 7, 2024) 11:30 CEST (3:00 PM IST)
- Physics – Tuesday (October 8, 2024) 11:45 CEST (3:15 PM IST)
- Chemistry – Wednesday (October 9, 2024) 11:45 CEST (3:15 PM IST)
- Literature – Thursday (October 10, 2024) 13:00 CEST (4:30 PM IST)
- Peace – Friday (October 11, 2024) 11:00 CEST (2:30 PM IST)
- The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel – Monday (October 14, 2024) 11:45 CEST (3:15 PM IST).
History of the Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are named after Alfred Nobel, a Swedish inventor, engineer, scientist, and philanthropist.
In his will, written in 1895, Nobel dedicated his fortune to establishing the prizes. He specified that his estate should fund the awards to individuals or organizations that had brought the greatest benefit to humanity in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace.
The first awards were handed out in 1901, five years after Nobel’s death.
The Economics Nobel came into existence in 1968 when Sweden’s central bank, Sveriges Riksbank, established the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
How are the winners selected?
The list of nominees for the year is presented by the The Norwegian Nobel Committee at the first meeting following the nomination deadline. On such occasion, the Committee may add more names to the list. Following that, the nomination procedure is concluded and the specific candidates are discussed.
The permanent advisers of the Nobel Committee then evaluate the shortlisted candidates. The body of advisers tends to consist of a small number of professors from Norwegian universities with extensive knowledge in fields that have an impact on the Peace Prize, in addition to the Institute’s director and research director.
The advisers typically have a few months to prepare their reports. Other Norwegian and international specialists are also periodically asked to provide reports.
Following the presentation of the advisers’ reports, the Nobel Committee starts a comprehensive discussion of the most likely applicants.
Typically, the Committee makes a decision during its final meeting before announcing the Prize at the beginning of October.
The Committee aims to select the Nobel Peace Prize laureate unanimously. In the rare cases when this isn’t feasible, a simple majority vote is used to choose.
How do you become nominated for a Nobel Prize?
In order to become a Nobel Prize laureate, one must first be nominated for a prize by an eligible nominator. Self-nomination is not allowed. Except for the Nobel Peace Prize, nomination is by invitation only and nominators must fulfil the criteria set out by the awarding institutions. The list of nominees is made public after 50 years after the nomination has taken place.
Who were the Nobel Prize awards 2023 winners?
The 2023 Physiology or Medicine Prize was awarded to Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modification that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.
The 2023 Prize for Physics was shared between three scientists—Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, and Anne L’Huillier—for developing new tools and exploring the world of electrons.
The 2023 Chemistry Prize was awarded to Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus and Alexei I. Ekimov for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots.
The 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature is being awarded to Norwegian author Jon Fosse for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable.
The 2023 Nobel Peace prize for Narges Mohammadi for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.
The 2023 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to Harvard University professor Claudia Goldin for research that has advanced the understanding of the gender gap in the labor market.
Published – October 05, 2024 12:00 pm IST
