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The Nobel Prize season is upon us once again, with two categories already revealed and more to come in the following days.
This prestigious award, first established by the Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel in 1901, continues to honour those whose contributions have profoundly impacted humanity.
Spanning six prize categories—Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Peace, and Economic Sciences—the Nobel Prizes are announced every October and presented in a grand ceremony on 10 December.
The 2024 Nobel announcements began with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on 7 October, awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their groundbreaking discovery of microRNA and its role in gene regulation.
A day later, on Tuesday, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton, recognising their foundational contributions to machine learning through artificial neural networks.
Looking ahead, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry is slated to be announced today, 9 October, at 11:45 CEST.
Following that, the Nobel Prize in Literature will be revealed on Thursday, 10 October at 13:00 CEST, with the Peace Prize to be announced on Friday, 11 October at 11:00 CEST.
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel will close out the announcements on Monday, 14 October at 11:45 CEST.
The Nobel Foundation, responsible for managing Nobel’s fortune, ensures that his vision—”to reward those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind”—is realized.
Since the first awards in 1901, the Nobel Prizes and the Economic Sciences Prize have been awarded 623 times to 1,004 laureates, with a total of 969 individuals and 27 organisations having been honoured.
Each year, the selection process begins with thousands of academicians, scientists, and parliamentary members worldwide submitting nominations.
These nominations have remained confidential for 50 years, preserving the integrity and mystique of the Nobel process. Details gathered from the Nobel Prize website were revealed to PUNCH Online.
As we await the rest of the 2024 laureates, it’s worth reflecting on how this remarkable tradition, now over a century old, continues to shape global discourse and inspire future generations.
-Only Nigerian Nobel Prize winner-
As of now, only one Nigerian has won the Nobel Prize: Wole Soyinka – Nobel Prize in Literature (1986)
Wole Soyinka, a renowned playwright, poet, and essayist, became the first African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986. He was recognised for his wide-ranging works that blended traditional African theatre with Western literary forms, often exploring themes of oppression, tyranny, and human dignity.
His Nobel citation praised him for being a writer “who in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama of existence.”
No other Nigerian has won a Nobel Prize in the various categories, making Soyinka’s achievement particularly significant for the nation and the African continent.
-Nobel Prize medal, prize amount-
The front of the gold Nobel Prize medal depicts Alfred Nobel. The image on the reverse varies according to the institution awarding the prize.
The current amount is at SEK 11 million per full Nobel Prize. A Nobel Prize can be awarded to up to three laureates who share the prize sum.
Nobel Prize in Physics
1901–2024: 118 prizes awarded to 227 laureates.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
1901–2023: 115 prizes awarded to 194 laureates.
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
1901–2024: 115 prizes awarded to 229 laureates.
Nobel Prize in Literature
1901–2023: 116 prizes awarded to 120 laureates.
Nobel Peace Prize
1901–2023: 104 prizes awarded to 141 laureates.
Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences
1901–2023: 55 prizes awarded to 93 laureates.
