Nomination and Selection of Nobel Prize Laureates

The Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden, administers the international award known as the Nobel Prize, which is based on the fortune of Alfred Nobel, a Swedish inventor and entrepreneur. Each prize selection involves awarding a medal, a personal diploma, and a cash award. From 1901 to 2022, they awarded the Nobel Prizes and the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences 621 times to 1,000 people and 27 organizations.

Alfred Nobel’s Will on Nobel Prize

The statutes of the Nobel Foundation state, “A prize amount may equally divide between two works, each of which merits a prize. If two or three persons produce a rewarded work, they shall jointly receive the prize. A prize amount may not be divided between more than three persons in any case.”

In this article, iLovePhD presents you with the fullest details of the nomination and selection process involved in receiving the Nobel Prize.

Table of contents

1. Who selects the Nobel Prize laureates?
2. Who can nominate?
3. Nomination and Selection Process

3.1    Qualified nominators of Physics and Chemistry

3.1.1 Selection of Nobel Prize Laureates in Physics and Chemistry

3.2    Qualified Nominators of Physiology or Medicine

3.2.1 Selection of Nobel Prize Laureates in Physiology or Medicine

3.3    Qualified Nominators of Literature

3.3.1 Selection of Nobel Prize Laureates in Literature

3.4    Qualified Nominators of Peace          

3.4.1 Selection of Nobel Prize Laureates in Peace

3.5    Qualified Nominators of Economic Science    

3.5.1 Selection of Nobel Prize Laureates in Economic Science

• Who is eligible for the Nobel Prize?
• How are the Nobel Prize laureates selected?
• Are the nominations made public?

Nomination and Selection of Nobel Prize Laureates

1. Who selects the Nobel Prize laureates?

In his last will and testament, Alfred Nobel designated the institutions responsible for the prizes he wished to be established:

1. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for the Nobel Prize in Physics and Chemistry.
2. Karolinska Institute for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
3. The Swedish Academy for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
4. A Committee of five persons to be elected by the Norwegian Parliament for the Nobel Peace Prize.
5. The Sveriges Riksbank established the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in 1968.

2. Who can nominate?

• Every year, thousands of academicians, university professors, scientists, past Nobel Prize laureates, members of parliamentary assemblies, and others invite candidates for the upcoming year’s Nobel Prizes.
• We select these nominators to ensure that as many countries and universities as possible have representation over time.
• After receiving all nominations, the Nobel Committees of the four prize-awarding institutions are responsible for the selection of the candidates.
• The nomination process starts in September each year.
• No person can nominate herself/himself for a Nobel Prize.
• The names of the nominees cannot be revealed until 50 years later.

3. Nomination and Selection Process

• Nomination to the Nobel Prize is by invitation only.
• The committee cannot reveal the names of the nominees and other nomination information until 50 years later.
• The Nobel Committee sends confidential forms to persons who are competent and qualified to nominate.

3.1 Qualified nominators of Physics and Chemistry

The right to submit proposals for the award of a Nobel Prize in Physics and Chemistry shall be:

1. Swedish and foreign members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences;
2. Members of the Nobel Committee for Physics and Chemistry;
3. Nobel Prize laureates in physics and Chemistry;
4. Permanent  professors in the sciences of Physics and Chemistry at the universities and institutes of technology of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway, and Karolinska Institute, Stockholm;
5. Holders of corresponding chairs in at least six universities or university colleges; and
6. Other scientists from whom the Academy may see fit to invite proposals.

Decisions as to the selection of scientific scholars shall be taken each year before the end of the month of September.

3.1.1 Selection of Nobel Prize Laureates in Physics and Chemistry

• The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is responsible for the selection of the Nobel Prize laureates in Physics and Chemistry.
• The Academy appoints a working body, the Nobel Committee for Physics and Chemistry, which screens the nominations and presents a proposal for final candidates.
• The committee consists of five voting members.
• The larger body discusses the Committee’s proposal, which may suggest a modification or forward the proposal to the Academy.
• Finally, the final Academy meeting may raise additional proposals.
• In principle, it is possible to suggest that the current year be given no Prize, but that choice is seldom used.

3.2 Qualified Nominators of Physiology or Medicine

The right to submit proposals for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is laid down in the Statutes of the Nobel Foundation. No self-nominations are considered. Those entitled to nominate are:

1. Members of the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute, Stockholm;
2. Swedish and foreign members of the Medicine and Biology classes of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences;
3. Nobel Prize laureates in physiology or medicine and chemistry;
4. Members of the Nobel Committee;
5. Holders of established posts as full professors at the faculties of medicine in Sweden and holders of similar posts at the faculties of medicine or similar institutions in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway;
6. Holders of similar posts at no fewer than six other faculties of medicine at universities around the world, selected by the Nobel Assembly; and
7. Scientists whom the Nobel Assembly may otherwise see fit to approach.

3.2.1 Selection of Nobel Prize Laureates in Physiology or Medicine

• The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute is responsible for the selection of the Nobel Prize laureates in physiology or medicine.
• The Nobel Assembly has 50 members.
• The Nobel Committee is the working body that reviews the nominations and selects the candidates.
• It consists of five members and the Secretary of the Nobel Committee and Nobel Assembly.

3.3 Qualified Nominators of Literature

The right to submit proposals for the award of a Nobel Prize in Literature shall be:

1. Members of the Swedish Academy and of other academies, institutions and societies that are similar to it in construction and purpose;
2. Professors of literature and of linguistics at universities and university colleges;
3. Previous Nobel Prize laureates in literature;
4. Presidents of those societies of authors that are representative of the literary production in their respective countries.

3.3.1 Selection of Nobel Prize Laureates in Literature

• The Swedish Academy is responsible for the selection of the Nobel Prize laureates in literature and has 18 members.
• The Nobel Committee for Literature is the working body that evaluates the nominations and presents its recommendations to the Swedish Academy and comprises four to five members.

3.4 Qualified Nominators of Peace

According to the statutes of the Nobel Foundation, only a person who meets certain criteria can submit a valid nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. A nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize will not be considered valid if it is a personal application for an award.

1. Members of national assemblies and national governments of sovereign states as well as current heads of state.
2. Members of The International Court of Justice in The Hague and The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.
3. Members of l’Institut de Droit International.
4. Members of the International Board of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.
5. University professors, professors emeriti and associate professors of history, social sciences, law, philosophy, theology, and religion; university rectors and university directors (or their equivalents); directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes.
6. Persons who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
7. Members of the main board of directors or its equivalent of organizations that have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
8. Current and former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee (proposals by current members of the Committee to be submitted no later than at the first meeting of the Committee after 1 February).
9. Former advisers to the Norwegian Nobel Committee

3.4.1 Selection of Nobel Prize Laureates in Peace

The Norwegian Nobel Committee is responsible for the selection of eligible candidates and the choice of the Nobel Peace Prize laureates. The Norwegian parliament appoints five members to compose the Committee. They award the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, not in Stockholm, Sweden, where they award the Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and the prize in economic sciences.

• After receiving the nominations, the Nobel Committee holds its first meeting.
• The Committee’s Permanent Secretary presents the list of candidates for the year.
• At this meeting, the Committee can add more names to the list if deemed necessary.
• Once this meeting is concluded, the nomination process is closed.
• The Committee then begins discussions about the specific candidates.
• Following this initial review, the Committee creates a “short list” of candidates for further consideration.
• The shortlist usually consists of 20 to 30 candidates.
• These short-listed candidates are evaluated by the Nobel Institute’s permanent advisers.
• The advisers include the Institute’s Director, Research Director, and Norwegian university professors with relevant expertise.
• The Committee strives for unanimity in selecting the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, resorting to a majority vote only in rare cases when consensus cannot be reached.
•  The final decision is typically made just before the Prize’s announcement in early October.

3.5 Qualified Nominators of Economic Science

The Economic Sciences Prize Committee sends confidential forms to persons who are competent and qualified to nominate. The right to submit proposals for the award of a Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel shall be:

1. Swedish and foreign members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences;
2. Members of the Prize Committee for the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences;
3. Persons who have been awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences;
4. Permanent professors in relevant subjects at the universities and colleges in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway;
5. Holders of corresponding chairs in at least six universities or colleges, selected for the relevant year by the Academy of Sciences; and
6. Other scientists from whom the Academy may see fit to invite proposals.

3.5.1 Selection of Nobel Prize Laureates in Economic Science

• The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is responsible for the selection of the economic sciences laureates from among the candidates recommended by the Economic Sciences Prize Committee.
• The Committee is the working body that screens the nominations and selects the final candidates and it consists of five members.

Not a Nobel Prize

• The prize in economic sciences is not a Nobel Prize.
• In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden’s central bank) instituted “The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel”.
• It has since been awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences according to the same principles as for the Nobel Prizes that have been awarded since 1901.
• The first prize in economic sciences was awarded to Ragnar Frisch and Jan Tinbergen in 1969.

4. Who is eligible for the Nobel Prize?

• The candidates eligible for the Nobel Prize are those nominated by qualified persons who have received an invitation from the Nobel Committee to submit names for consideration.
• No one can nominate himself or herself.

5. How are the Nobel Prize laureates selected?

(Source: The Nobel Prize Official Website)

Below is a brief description of the process involved in selecting the Nobel Prize laureates.

September – Nomination forms are sent out. The Nobel Committee sends out confidential forms to around 3,000 people – selected professors at universities around the world, Nobel Prize laureates, and members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, among others.

February – Deadline for submission. The completed nomination forms must reach the Nobel Committee no longer than 31^st January of the following year. The Committee screens the nominations and selects the preliminary candidates. About 250–350 names are nominated as several nominators often submit the same name.

March-May – Consultation with experts. The Nobel Committee sends the names of the preliminary candidates to specially appointed experts for their assessment of the candidates’ work.

June-August – Writing of the report. The Nobel Committee puts together the report with recommendations to be submitted to the Academy. The report is signed by all members of the Committee.

September – Committee submits recommendations. The Nobel Committee submits its report with recommendations on the final candidates to the members of the Academy.

October – Nobel Prize laureates are chosen. In early October, the Academy selects the Nobel Prize laureates through a majority vote. The decision is final and without appeal. The names of the Nobel Laureates are then announced.

December – Nobel Prize laureates receive their prize. The Nobel Prize award ceremony takes place on 10^th December in Stockholm, where the Nobel Prize laureates receive their Nobel Prize, which consists of a Nobel Prize medal and diploma, and a document confirming the prize amount.

6. Are the nominations made public?

• The statutes of the Nobel Foundation restrict the disclosure of information about the nominations, whether publicly or privately, for 50 years.
• The restriction concerns the nominees and nominators, as well as investigations and opinions related to the award of a prize.

Reference

1. www.NobelPrize.org