The highly anticipated Nobel Prize season has officially arrived! Each October, esteemed committees across Sweden and Norway announce the laureates for a diverse array of awards spanning science, literature, and economics, alongside the globally recognized peace prize. This year, six remarkable prizes will be bestowed upon deserving individuals and organizations.
The chosen laureates will be celebrated and receive their prestigious Nobel Prize medals and diplomas during a grand ceremony in Stockholm this December.
A Nobel Prize medal, symbolizing the pinnacle of achievement, is an iconic sight, as seen at the National Library of Colombia in Bogota. (Credit: Mauricio Duenas Castaneda/EPA, via Shutterstock)
For a quick yet comprehensive overview of this year’s accolades, keep reading!
Understanding the Nobel Prizes
Each year, six Nobel Prizes are awarded, each designed to honor an individual’s or an organization’s groundbreaking contributions in specific fields. These highly coveted awards recognize excellence in physiology or medicine, physics, chemistry, economic science, literature, and peace work. The Nobel Peace Prize, in particular, often captures significant global attention due to the high profile of its nominees.
Interestingly, this year boasts 338 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize, comprising 244 individuals and 94 organizations, as confirmed by the Nobel committee. This is an increase from last year’s 286 nominations, though it doesn’t surpass the record of 376 candidates set in 2016.
Past recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize include prominent figures such as Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai (2014); President Barack Obama (2009); Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk (1993); the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso (1989); and Mother Teresa (1979).
The committee meeting room at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo features photo portraits of all individual laureates and the logos of all prizewinning institutions and organizations. (Credit: Jonathan Nackstrand/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images)
When Are the Winners Announced?
The announcements for each prize are scheduled daily from October 6th to October 10th, with one additional announcement on October 13th. Tune in between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. Eastern time for these exciting revelations, which are primarily made from Oslo and Stockholm and streamed live on the official Nobel Prize organization’s digital platforms.
The award for physiology or medicine was already revealed on Monday, honoring Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi for their groundbreaking discoveries in peripheral immune tolerance.
Following this, the physics prize was announced on Tuesday, recognizing John Clarke, Michel Devoret, and John Martinis for their pivotal research in quantum mechanics and electric circuits.
Mark your calendars: The award for chemistry will be announced on Wednesday.
The prestigious award for literature will follow on Thursday.
The eagerly awaited award for peace work is set for announcement on Friday.
Finally, the award for economic sciences will conclude the announcements on October 13th.
What Do Laureates Receive?
Beyond the immense honor, Nobel Prize laureates are bestowed with a beautifully crafted diploma, a distinctive gold medal, and a document outlining the prize money. This year, the monetary award stands at 11 million Swedish kronor, equivalent to approximately $1.17 million at current exchange rates.
Malala Yousafzai, a notable figure, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. (Credit: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters)
Who Won Last Year?
Last year saw several remarkable individuals recognized. Notably, scientists John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton received the Nobel Prize in Physics for their profound discoveries that have significantly advanced how computers learn, mimicking the human brain. Their work laid crucial groundwork for the development of modern artificial intelligence.
The Nobel Peace Prize in the previous year was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a dedicated organization in Japan that has championed nuclear disarmament for over five decades. Their extensive work includes advocating at the United Nations and various international peace conferences, as well as collecting and sharing thousands of poignant testimonies from survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
A comprehensive list of all 2024 winners is also available for those interested in exploring further.