STOCKHOLM: The world’s attention will turn to Stockholm and Oslo next week as the 2026 Nobel Prizes begin recognizing discoveries, ideas and efforts that have shaped science, literature and peace.
The annual announcements will take place from Oct. 5 to Oct. 12, with laureates revealed in medicine, physics, chemistry, literature, peace and economic sciences. The medicine prize will open the series on Oct. 5, followed by physics, chemistry and literature, while the Peace Prize will be announced in Oslo on Oct. 9. The economics prize will close the announcement schedule on Oct. 12.
How the Nobel legacy began
The awards trace their origins to Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor, chemist and businessman whose 1895 will directed most of his fortune toward prizes for people whose work had brought major benefits to humanity.
Nobel, who died in 1896, was best known for inventing dynamite but had interests extending across science, technology, literature and languages. His vision eventually became the foundation for five original prize categories: physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace.
The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901 after the legal and administrative work needed to carry out his will had been completed.
Economic sciences joined the Nobel lineup much later. Sweden’s central bank established the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in 1968, and the award is selected by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Who selects the winners?
Different institutions are responsible for choosing laureates in each field.
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet selects the medicine laureate, while the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences handles physics, chemistry and economic sciences. The Swedish Academy selects the literature laureate, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee chooses the Peace Prize recipient.
The selection process begins months before the public announcements. Nobel committees gather nominations, examine candidates and conduct extensive assessments before the prize-awarding institutions make their final decisions.
A history filled with famous names
Over more than a century, the Nobel Prizes have been awarded to scientists, authors, activists and other figures whose work has left a lasting mark.
Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Ernest Hemingway, Albert Camus and Nelson Mandela are among the best-known names associated with the awards. The Curie family has an especially prominent place in Nobel history, with several members receiving prizes across generations.
The awards have also generated debate. Some past selections, particularly in medicine and peace, have faced criticism as scientific understanding or historical assessments changed over time.
Nobel celebrations culminate in December
Although the laureates are announced in October, the formal Nobel ceremonies take place on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. The Peace Prize ceremony is held in Oslo, while the remaining prizes are presented in Stockholm.
The Stockholm celebrations traditionally conclude with the Nobel Banquet at Stockholm City Hall, bringing together laureates, officials and other guests for one of Sweden’s most closely watched annual events.
The Nobel Prizes remain one of the world’s most recognized honors, combining a medal, diploma and financial award with international recognition for work in fields ranging from scientific discovery to literature and peace.
