The annual prizes will be announced beginning Monday.
Nobel Prize season is upon us. Every October, committees in Sweden and Norway name laureates in a variety of prizes related to science, literature and economics, as well as peace work. In total, six prizes will be awarded.
Laureates will receive their Nobel Prize medals and diplomas in Stockholm in December.
Here is a quick guide to this year’s prizes.
What are the Nobel Prizes?
Six Nobel Prizes are awarded every year, each recognizing an individual’s or organization’s groundbreaking contribution in a specific field. Prizes are given for physiology or medicine, physics, chemistry, economic science, literature and peace work, which often draws the most attention because of the fame of the people and groups nominated.
This year, there are 285 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize — 196 individuals and 89 organizations, the Nobel committee said. Last year, the institute received more than 350 nominations. The highest number ever received was 376 candidates, in 2016. (Here’s how those nominations work.)
Previous Nobel Peace Prize recipients include 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).
When are the awards announced?
One prize will be announced each day from Oct. 7 to Oct. 11, with one more on Oct. 14, between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. Eastern time. Announcements are mainly made from Oslo and Stockholm, and are streamed live on the official digital channels of the Nobel Prize organization.
The award for physiology or medicine will be announced on Monday, Oct. 7.
The award for physics will be announced on Tuesday, Oct. 8.
The award for chemistry will be announced on Wednesday, Oct. 9.
The award for literature will be announced on Thursday, Oct. 10.
The award for peace work will be announced on Friday, Oct. 11.
The award for economic sciences will be announced on Monday, Oct. 14.
What do the laureates receive?
Nobel Prize laureates will receive a diploma, a medal and a document detailing the Nobel Prize amount, which this year is set to be 11 million Swedish kronor or about $1.07 million in current exchange rates.
Who were last year’s recipients?
Among the notable winners last year was the Norwegian author Jon Fosse, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature “for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable.” Some of his most important works include the seven novels in his “Septology” series and “Morning and Evening.”
The award for peace work was awarded to Narges Mohammadi, a jailed Iranian activist, “for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.” Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries that led to the development of effective vaccines against Covid-19.