List of Nobel laureates

The Nobel Prizes are special awards given each year to people and groups who do amazing work in different areas. These areas include chemistry, physics, literature, peace, and physiology or medicine. The prizes were started because of a plan made by Alfred Nobel in 1895. He wanted these awards to be given out by groups like the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Each person who wins a Nobel Prize, called a Nobelist or laureate, gets a gold medal, a special paper called a diploma, and some money. The amount of money changes each year and is decided by the Nobel Foundation. In 1968, an extra prize for economics was added thanks to Sveriges Riksbank, which is Sweden's central bank. These prizes are given out every year to honor the best work in these important fields.

Prize

Different groups give out the Nobel Prizes each year. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences gives prizes for Physics, Chemistry, and Economics. The Swedish Academy gives the prize for Literature. The Karolinska Institute gives the prize for Physiology or Medicine. And the Norwegian Nobel Committee gives the prize for Peace.

Each winner gets a medal, a special certificate, and money. The amount changes over time. In the first year, 1901, winners got 150,782 SEK, which is a lot of money today. In 2017, winners got 9 million SEK. The prizes are given out every year on December 10 in Stockholm, the day Alfred Nobel died. Sometimes, the prize isn’t given if there are no good nominations or because of big events, like during World War II from 1940 to 1942.

Laureates

Between 1901 and 2017, the Nobel Prizes and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences were given out 585 times to 923 people and groups. Some people received the prize more than once, making a total of 892 individuals (including 844 men and 48 women) and 24 organizations. A few Nobel laureates were not allowed by their governments to accept their prizes. Some were in prison or detention when they won, and two others chose not to accept the award for their own reasons.

Seven laureates have received more than one prize. The International Committee of the Red Cross has won the Nobel Peace Prize three times, more than any other group. UNHCR has won the Nobel Peace Prize twice. The Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded twice to John Bardeen, and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded twice to both Frederick Sanger and Karl Barry Sharpless. Two people were awarded prizes in two different fields: Marie Curie (Physics and Chemistry) and Linus Pauling (Chemistry and Peace). Among the 892 Nobel laureates, 48 were women. The first woman to win a Nobel Prize was Marie Curie, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 and later won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911.

List of laureates

• (/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates#1901)
• (/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates#1910)
• (/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates#1920)
• (/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates#1930)
• (/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates#1940)
• (/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates#1950)
• (/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates#1960)
• (/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates#1970)
• (/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates#1980)
• (/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates#1990)
• (/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates#2000)
• (/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates#2010)
• (/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates#2020)

50-year secrecy rule

The Nobel Committee does not tell the media or the candidates who the nominees are. Sometimes, people guess who will win, but these are just guesses or maybe inside information from those who nominated someone. After 50 years, the list of all nominees becomes public. The Nobel Foundation’s rules say that researchers can look at the information used to decide winners, but only after 50 years have passed from the decision date.