The season for the Nobel Prize has arrived. Every October, a Swedish-Norwegian committee selects the winners of various awards related to science, literature, economics and peace work. A total of 6 prizes will be awarded.
The winners will receive their Nobel Prize medals and certificates in Stockholm in December.
Here’s a quick introduction to this year’s prizes.
What is a Nobel Prize?
Six Nobel Prizes are awarded each year, each recognizing the groundbreaking contribution of an individual or organization in a particular field. Prizes are given in physiology or medicine, physics, chemistry, economics, literature, and peace work, but they often attract the most attention because of the fame of the person or group nominated.
According to the Nobel Committee, there are 286 candidates for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize (197 individuals and 89 organizations). Last year, the institute received more than 350 nominations. The highest number received to date was 376 candidates in 2016. (Here’s how these candidates work).
Previous Nobel Peace Prize winners include Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai (2014). President Barack Obama (2009). Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk (1993). 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso (1989). and Mother Teresa (1979).
Portraits of all winners and the logos of all award-winning institutions and organizations are on display in the committee meeting room at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo. Credit… Jonathan Knackstrand/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesWhen will the awards be announced?One award will be announced each day from October 7th to October 11th, and another will be announced between 5am and 7am ET on October 14th. The announcements will be made primarily from Oslo and Stockholm and streamed live on the Nobel Prize Organization’s official digital channels.
The Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded Monday to Victor Ambrose and Gary Lubukun for their discovery of microRNAs and their role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.
The Physics Prize was awarded Tuesday to John J. Hopfield and Jeffrey E. Awarded to Mr. Hinton.
Chemistry prizes were awarded Wednesday to three scientists for predicting and creating proteins. The winners are Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis and John Jumper, who used AI to predict the structures of millions of proteins. David Baker of the University of Washington invented a new protein using computer software.
The literary award was presented Thursday to Korean author Han Kang, best known for his novel “Vegetarian.” Mats Malm, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, said Han was recognized for his “powerful poetic prose that confronts historical trauma and exposes the fragility of human life.”
The Peace Activity Award was presented Friday to Nippon Hidankyo, a Japanese organization that is a grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors working toward a world free of nuclear weapons.
The Economic Sciences Prize will be announced on Monday.
What will the winners receive?
Nobel laureates are awarded a certificate, a medal and a document detailing the amount of the Nobel Prize, which is set at 11 million Swedish kronor, or approximately $1.07 million at current exchange rates.
Malala Yousafzai won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. Credit…Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters
Who were last year’s winners?
The Peace Action Award was presented to imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi for her “fight against the oppression of women and the promotion of human rights and freedoms for all in Iran.”
Among last year’s notable winners was Norwegian author John Master, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature for his “innovative plays and prose that give voice to the voiceless.” His most important works include the seven novels in the “Septology” series and “Morning and Evening.”
Catalin Carrico and Drew Wiseman have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries that led to the development of an effective vaccine against COVID-19.
See the complete list of 2023 winners here.
