The latest round of Nobel Prizes has begun rolling out this week, with announcements spread across several days. The announcements start Monday with the medicine or physiology award. This year, the honor has been awarded to scientists Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi for “their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance”.
This announcement wraps up on 13 October with the economics prize. Each winner will receive 11 million Swedish crowns ($1.2 million)-and instant recognition in global science and culture circles. The awards also cover physics, chemistry, literature, and peace.
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All about the Nobel Prize and its founder
Alfred Nobel – the man behind the world’s most prestigious awards – was not a typical inventor. The Swedish chemist made a fortune from his discoveries, but instead of passing it all down, he decided to give it away. In his will, he set aside most of his estate to honor people who had, as he wrote, “conferred the greatest benefit to humankind,” Reuters reported.
Alfred Nobel’s name usually brings up dynamite, but that was just one part of him. He had this quiet, creative side too – wrote poems, even tried writing plays. By 17, he already spoke four languages: Russian, French, English, and German.
Later in life, he struck up a friendship with Bertha von Suttner, an Austrian peace activist who really made him rethink things. According to Reuters, she is the reason he added the Peace Prize to his will. She went on to win it herself in 1905, the first woman ever to do so.
When Nobel died in 1896, his will caused chaos. It took his lawyers and family years to settle it. Only in 1901 did the first Nobel Prizes finally happen – and that is how a fortune made from explosives turned into awards celebrating peace and progress.
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Nobel Prize: How the winners are chosen
Different organizations select the laureates. Nobel himself appointed the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to handle physics and chemistry, the Swedish Academy for literature, the Karolinska Institute for medicine, and Norway’s parliament for peace. The decision to give Norway the peace award was likely tied to the political union between the two countries at the time.
In 1968, Sweden’s central bank added a sixth category-the Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel-awarded by the same Swedish academy.
Over the years, the prize list has included legendary names: Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mother Teresa. Some wins, like Egas Moniz’s 1949 medicine award for lobotomy, have aged poorly, and a few peace prizes-Henry Kissinger, Yasser Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin, and Shimon Peres-sparked heavy debate. Many still view the omission of Mahatma Gandhi as one of the Nobel committee’s biggest misses.
The December celebration
Winners receive their medals and diplomas every 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. The Peace Prize is handed out in Oslo, while the rest are presented in Stockholm by the Swedish king.
On the awards night, about 1,300 guests attend a grand banquet at Stockholm City Hall, where top chefs spend months preparing a secret Nordic-themed menu. As per Reuters, last year’s meal featured goat’s cheese with lovage, chicken quenelle with miso-glazed celeriac, and a dessert of baked apple terrine with brown butter cake.
FAQs
When will the 2025 Nobel Prizes be announced?
They begin with medicine on Monday and end with economics on 13 October.
Who created the Nobel Prizes?
Swedish chemist and inventor Alfred Nobel established them in his will.
How much is the Nobel Prize worth in 2025?
Each award carries a prize of 11 million Swedish crowns, about $1.2 million.
Where are the Nobel Prizes awarded?
The peace prize is presented in Oslo, while the rest are given in Stockholm.
What date are the prizes presented?
They are awarded on 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.