4 Surprising Facts About The Nobel Prize You Probably Didn’t Know

As we enter the Nobel Prize season, excitement builds around the prestigious awards that honour outstanding contributions to humanity.

Established in 1901 by Swedish inventor and philanthropist Alfred Nobel, the Nobel Prizes have become synonymous with excellence.

4 Surprising Facts On Nobel Prize

Here are four intriguing facts about this celebrated accolade.

1. Detained Laureates

Throughout history, several Nobel Peace Prize winners were unable to attend the award ceremony due to imprisonment. Notable examples include:

Carl von Ossietzky: A German journalist detained in a Nazi concentration camp in 1936.

Aung San Suu Kyi: The Myanmar opposition leader who was under house arrest in 1991 but declined to travel for her award due to fears of not being able to return home.

Liu Xiaobo: A Chinese dissident who received the prize in 2010 while in prison, represented by an empty chair during the ceremony.

Ales Bialiatski: A Belarusian human rights activist jailed in 2022, with his wife accepting the award on his behalf.

Narges Mohammadi: An Iranian activist who celebrated her 2023 award from her cell in Iran's Evin prison.

2. Honors for All Ages

The Nobel Prizes recognize achievements across all age groups. Malala Yousafzai, at just 17, became the youngest Nobel laureate for her advocacy for girls' education in Pakistan. In contrast, John Goodenough won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2019 at the age of 97 for his groundbreaking work on lithium-ion batteries. Other young laureates include Lawrence Bragg, who won the Physics prize at 25, and Nadia Murad, who received the Peace Prize at the same age in 2018 for her work on behalf of the Yazidi minority.

3. Posthumous Awards

Since 1974, the Nobel Foundation has generally prohibited posthumous awards. However, if a nominee passes away between the announcement in October and the ceremony in December, they may still be honored. Prior to this change, only two individuals received the prize posthumously: Dag Hammarskjöld, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1961 after his death, and Erik Axel Karlfeldt, who won the Literature prize in 1931. In 2011, Ralph Steinman was awarded the Prize in Physiology or Medicine, despite having passed away just days before the announcement.

4. Nominations and Selection Process

Every year, the Swedish Academy receives around 300 nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature from former laureates, academics, and organizations. Each nomination highlights the candidate's strengths, although including gifts for the jury is often frowned upon. Notably, self-nominations are not allowed, and nominations must be renewed annually by January 31. Eligible candidates must still be alive at the time of nomination.

As we look forward to the 2024 Nobel Prize announcements, these facts remind us of the rich history and significance behind one of the world's most revered honors.