The Nobel Prizes, established by Alfred Nobel, have been awarded to individuals and organizations since 1901 for outstanding contributions to humanity. The prizes are awarded in various fields, including medicine, physics, chemistry, literature, and peace. The 2026 winners will be announced between October 5 and 12, starting with the Nobel Prize in Medicine. The prizes are considered the most prestigious awards in their respective fields.
Some Nobel Peace Prize laureates have been unable to attend the awards ceremony in Oslo due to various circumstances. Since 1901, five laureates have been prevented from attending, including Carl von Ossietzky, who was detained in a Nazi concentration camp in 1936. Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's opposition leader, was under house arrest when she won the prize in 1991 and declined to attend. Other laureates, including Liu Xiaobo, Ales Bialiatski, and Narges Mohammadi, were also unable to attend due to imprisonment or other circumstances.
The Nobel Prizes have been awarded to individuals of various ages, from young to old. Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani human rights activist, became the youngest winner at 17 years old in 2014. Lawrence Bragg, an Australian physicist, won the Nobel Prize in Physics at 25 years old in 1915. In contrast, John Goodenough, an American chemist, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry at 97 years old in 2019. Other notable laureates, including Nadia Murad and Arthur Ashkin, were also awarded prizes at relatively young and old ages.
The Nobel Foundation has rules regarding posthumous awards. Since 1974, the prize may not be given posthumously, but it may still be awarded if the recipient dies between the announcement and the formal ceremony. Before this change, only two people had won a Nobel Prize posthumously, including Dag Hammarskjold, the Swedish secretary-general of the United Nations. In 2011, Ralph Steinman, a Canadian scientist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine despite having passed away three days earlier.
Women have been underrepresented among Nobel laureates, but the share has been increasing since the early 2020s. Only 68 of the 633 Nobel prizes awarded since 1901 have been given to women, representing about 10 percent. The science fields have the lowest representation of women laureates. Despite this, Marie Curie remains the only woman to have received two Nobel prizes, in physics in 1903 and chemistry in 1911.
Alfred Nobel, the founder of the Nobel Prizes, was not only an inventor but also a poet. He wrote poetry throughout his life, mostly in English, and was an admirer of Percy Bysshe Shelley and Byron. Nobel's literary talent was questionable, and he once wrote to a friend that he had no pretension to call his verses poetry. He also wrote a scandalous tragedy titled "Nemesis" in 1896, inspired by Shelley's play "The Cenci".
The Nobel Prizes continue to be a significant recognition of outstanding contributions to humanity. The prizes have been awarded for over a century, and their legacy continues to inspire individuals and organizations around the world. As the 2026 winners are announced, the world will be watching to see who will be recognized for their achievements.
Key points
- The Nobel Prizes have been awarded since 1901 for work leading to great advances for humanity.
- Some Nobel Peace Prize laureates have been unable to attend the awards ceremony due to various circumstances.
- Women have been underrepresented among Nobel laureates, but the share has been increasing since the early 2020s.
