FACTS ABOUT SWEDEN | THE NOBEL PRIZE sweden.se PHOTO: HENRIK MONTGOMERY/TT

The Nobel Banquet is a magnificent party held at Stockholm City Hall.

NOBEL PRIZE: THE PRESTIGIOUS AWARD THAT CAPTURES THE WORLD’S ATTENTION

The Nobel Prize is considered the most prestigious award in the world. Prize-winning discoveries include X-rays, radioactivity and penicillin. Peace Laureates include Nelson Mandela and the 14th Dalai Lama. Nobel Laureates in Literature, including Gabriel García Márquez and Doris Lessing, have thrilled readers with works such as 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' and 'The Grass is Singing'.

Every year in early October, the world Nobel Day is 10 December. For the prize Prize in Economic Sciences turns its gaze towards Sweden and winners, it is the crowning point of a week In 1968, Sweden’s central bank (Sveriges Norway as the Nobel Laureates are of speeches, conferences and receptions. Riksbank) established the Prize in announced in Stockholm and Oslo. At the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Millions of people visit the website of in Stockholm on that day, the Laureates Nobel. The prize is based on a donation the Nobel Foundation during this time. in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or received by the Nobel Foundation in The Nobel Prize has been awarded Medicine, and Literature receive a medal 1968 from the central bank to mark to people and organisations every year from the King of Sweden, as well as the bank’s 300th anniversary. The Prize since 1901 (with a few exceptions such a diploma and a cash award. The cer­ in Economic Sciences is awarded by as during World War II) for achieve­ emony is followed by a gala banquet. the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, ments in physics, chemistry, physiology The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in follow­ing the same principles as the or medicine, literature and peace. Oslo the same day. Nobel Prizes. „ FACTS ABOUT SWEDEN | THE NOBEL PRIZE sweden.se

DID YOU KNOW? „ Legacy of Alfred Nobel up to three recipients for each prize, who The Nobel Prize is the legacy of Sweden’s­ share the sum between them. 51 WOMEN Alfred Nobel (1833–1896). Prizes are awarded The Nobel Prize and the Prize in to ‘those who, during the preceding­ year, Organisations affiliated with Economic Sciences have been shall have conferred the greatest benefit the prize awarded to women 52 times from on mankind.’ When he signed his last will The Nobel Prize is affiliated with several 1901 to 2018. One woman, Marie in 1895, Nobel declared that the bulk of organisations and institutions entrusted Curie, has been honoured twice, receiving the 1903 Nobel Prize in his estate should be converted into a fund with different tasks related to the prize. Physics and the 1911 Nobel Prize and invested in safe securities. The four The Nobel Foundation Rights Association in Chemistry. This means a total institutions in Sweden and Norway (the was established in 1999 to provide informa­ of 51 women have received Nobel two countries were united between 1814 tion through a variety of media about the Prizes to date: and 1905) conferring the prizes were to Nobel Laureates and their achievements. 17 have received the Peace Prize, 14 the Prize in Literature, be the Swedish Academy of Sciences, This non-profit association serves as 12 in Physiology/Medicine, Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, the an umbrella organisation for three other 5 in Chemistry (including Curie), Swedish Academy in Stockholm and entities:­ 3 in Physics (including Curie) and a committee of five people to be elected • Nobel Media, which develops and man­ 1 in Economic Sciences. by the Norwegian parliament (Stortinget). ages programmes, productions and 96 YEARS OLD media rights of the Nobel Prize within The Nobel Foundation the areas of digital and broadcast media, The oldest Laureate to date is Arthur In 1900, the four institutions awarding the publishing as well as events. Ashkin, who was 96 when he was awarded the Prize in Physics in 2018. prizes agreed to create the Nobel Foundation, • The Nobel Museum, housed in the Old a private institution based on Alfred Nobel’s Stock Exchange Building (Börshuset­ ) 17 YEARS OLD will. The Nobel Foundation would adminis­ in Stockholm’s Old Town, creates inter­ est and spreads knowledge around the The youngest Laureate to date is Malala ter Nobel’s estate, totalling SEK 31 million, Yousafzai, who was 17 when she was make public announcements and arrange natural sciences and culture. awarded the Peace Prize in 2014. the prize ceremonies. The total­ amount • The Nobel Peace Center, at Rådhus­ awarded each year is based on the most plassen in Oslo, Norway, a showcase TWO HAVE DECLINED recent return on investment. The capital is which presents the Nobel Peace Prize Two Nobel Laureates have declined currently worth over SEK 4.5 billion, more and the work of the Nobel Peace Prize Obs! Löst tecken Lê Ðúc Tho. the Nobel Prize. Jean-Paul Sartre, than double the value of the original estate Laureates. n awarded the 1964 Nobel Prize in when adjusted for inflation. Literature, declined the award be­ cause he had consistently declined The Nobel Prize in each category is cur­ rently worth SEK 9 million. There can be Obs! Löst tecken Lê Ðúc Tho. all official honours. Lê Ðúc Tho . was awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger for negotiating the Vietnam peace agreement. Lê Ðúc Tho . said he was not in a position to accept the Nobel THE FATHER OF DYNAMITE

Peace Prize, due to the situation in PHOTO: NOBEL MUSEUM Vietnam. Alfred Nobel was a chemist, engineer, in­ ventor and entrepreneur. He was born on FOUR FORCED TO DECLINE 21 October 1833 in Stockholm, and died on 10 December 1896 in San Remo, Italy. Four Nobel Laureates have been He was devoted to the study of explo­ forced by authorities to decline the sives, and his inventions include a blast­ Nobel Prize. Adolf Hitler forbade ing cap, dynamite and smokeless gun­ three German Laureates – Richard powder. Nobel became famous across the Kuhn (Chemistry), Adolf Butenandt world when the St. Gotthard Tunnel in the (Chemistry) and Gerhard Domagk Swiss Alps was completed in 1881 and (Physiology/Medicine) – from ac­ dynamite was used for the first time on cepting their prizes. The Nazi regime a large scale. banned all Germans from accepting At the time of his death, Nobel held Nobel Prizes after the 1935 Nobel 355 patents in different countries. Peace Prize was awarded to Carl There were Nobel companies in more von Ossietzky, a German writer who than 20 countries, with explosives of all publicly opposed Hitler and Nazism. kinds being manufactured under his pat­ The three later received their awards, ents in around 90 factories worldwide. but not the prize money. Nobel lived and worked in many coun­ Alfred Nobel. Boris Pasternak, the 1958 Nobel tries, including Sweden, Russia, France, and drama. He could never have imag­ Laureate in Literature, initially ac­ the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy. ined how important his prize would be­ cepted the prize but was later coerced He spoke five languages, had a passion­ come, or how much media attention future into declining by Soviet authorities. ate interest in literature, and wrote poetry Nobel Laureates would attract. n

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THE NOBEL PRIZE-AWARDING PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK INSTITUTIONS Four institutions select the Nobel Laureates:

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize in Chemistry and Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel). Founded in 1739 as an independent organisation, it aims to promote the sciences and enhance their influence in society. It currently has PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK around 460 Swedish and 175 foreign members.

The Swedish Academy (Nobel Prize in Literature). Founded in 1786, it consists of 18 Swedes, all elected for life, though chairs are occasionally vacant.

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine). Dating from 1977 in its Prize-winning discoveries (clockwise from left): X-rays; AGA lighthouse, a type of current form, the assembly consists of automatic lighthouse that runs on acetylene gas; the molecular structure of DNA – 50 professors at Karolinska Institutet. the double helix; penicillin. The Norwegian Nobel Committee (Nobel Peace Prize). Founded in 1897, its five members are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament. A HISTORY OF CULTURE AND SCIENCE PHOTO: FREDRIKA BERGHULT/NOBEL MEDIA AB Between 1901, when the first Nobel Prize was awarded, and 2018, a total of 935 Nobel Prizes have been awarded to individuals and organisations. Together, they represent a major contribution to the cultural and scientific history of the world.

There have been 908 prizes awarded to technology. In the early 1900s, he invented individuals and 27 to organisations. Only the AGA lighthouse, a type of automatic a few recipients have been honoured more lighthouse that ran on acetylene gas. The than once, which means that a total of gas supply was controlled by a sun valve 904 individuals and 24 unique organisa­ that shut off the gas in daylight, and a re­ tions have received prizes to date. volving light apparatus that allowed the The first Nobel Prize in Physics, in 1901, beacon to flash by switching the gas off Around 1,300 guests are invited went to Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen for his and on at brief, regular intervals. The two each year to the grand banquet. discovery of X-rays, used every day by innovations made it possible to reduce gas health care providers around the world. consumption by 90 per cent compared THE BANQUET OF BANQUETS In 1903, Marie Curie became the first with earlier constructions. The Nobel Banquet is a magnificent female Laureate when she was named a In the autumn of 1945, the Nobel Assem­ party held in the Blue Hall at Stockholm joint winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics bly of professors at Karolinska Institutet City Hall. The preparations are metic­ for her research into radioactivity. She re­ gathered to select a Nobel Laureate in ulous. Hundreds of cooks, waiters and attendants ensure that everything ceived her second prize in 1911 – this time Physiology or Medicine. They chose three runs smoothly. Some 1,300 guests are in chemistry – for isolating and studying Laureates, including Alexander Fleming, invited, with each Laureate entitled to the new element radium. for their discovery of penicillin, which bring 14 guests beside their spouses. In 1905, Austrian baroness and author saved millions of lives in the second half Sweden’s royal family is always Bertha von Suttner became the first woman of the 20th century. present, as are the prime minister and other members of the government. to win the Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition In 2018 the Nobel Peace Prize was The Nobel family is always represented. of her work with the pacifist movements in awarded to Denis Mukwege and Nadia The remainder of the guest list should Germany and Austria. She was also widely Murad, both of whom have worked effort­ reflect the cultural and scientific com­ seen as inspiring Alfred Nobel, with whom lessly to combat and make visible wide­ munity of Sweden and the world. she corresponded, to create the Peace Prize. spread war-time sexual violence. In 1912, Swedish inventor and industri­ Previous Nobel Peace Prize Laureates alist Gustaf Dalén won the Nobel Prize in include Martin Luther King (1964), Mother Physics for his contributions to lighthouse Teresa (1979) and Barack Obama (2009). „ 3 | FACTS ABOUT SWEDEN | THE NOBEL PRIZE sweden.se

2018 NOBEL PRIZES „ Nobel Laureates in Literature include Swedish Academy has led to a diminished Ernest Hemingway (1954), Toni Morrison number of members and a reduced public (Countries denote place of birth.) (1993), Dario Fo (1997) and Mario Vargas confi dence in the Academy. The Academy Chemistry Llosa (2010). In 2018, for the eight time and intends to decide on and announce the Frances H. Arnold, USA. the fi rst time since 1943, no Nobel Prize Nobel Prize in Literature for 2018 in parallel ‘For the directed evolution of enzymes.’ in Literature was awarded. A crisis at the with the naming of the 2019 Laureate. n And George P. Smith, USA; Sir Gregory P. Winter, England. ‘For the phage display of peptides THE NOBEL PRIZE CALENDAR and antibodies.’ The Nobel Prize Award Ceremony in Stockholm is held on Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2018 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. On the has been postponed. same day, the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway.

Peace Several other activities take place the same Nobel Banquet. They are also invited to Denis Mukwege, Democratic Republic week, with receptions and dinners hosted by a more intimate dinner at the Royal Palace, of the Congo; Nadia Murad, Iraq. the institutions awarding prizes, the Nobel where they meet the Royal Family again. ‘For their efforts to end the use of sexual Foundation and the Swedish Royal Family. The visit to the Nobel Foundation is a violence as a weapon of war and armed The Laureates deliver lectures and talk about great symbolic event. confl ict.’ their work, with panel discussions and other The Laureates receive a document con­ public appearances usually arranged. fi rming the prize amount and sign their Physics Arthur Ashkin, USA. Traditionally, the Laureates and their names in a guestbook, thereby joining ‘For the optical tweezers and their spouses sit with the Royal Family at the hundreds of famous predecessors. n application to biological systems’ And Gérard Mourou, France; NOBEL WEEK IN STOCKHOLM Donna Strickland, Canada. 5–7 December 10 December ‘For their method of generating high­ Press conferences and seminars are held The Nobel Prize Award Ceremony is held intensity, ultra­short optical pulses.’ in Stockholm. in the Stockholm Concert Hall, where the King of Sweden presents each Laureate Physiology or Medicine 7–8 December with a Nobel Prize Medal and a Nobel Prize James P. Allison, USA; The Laureates deliver their Nobel Lectures. Diploma. The Nobel Banquet is then held Tasuku Honjo, Japan. 8 December at Stockholm City Hall. ‘For their discovery of cancer therapy by A Nobel Prize Concert in honour of the Lau­ 11 December inhibition of negative immune regulation.’ reates is held at the Stockholm Concert Hall. The festivities conclude The Prize in Economic Sciences 9 December with a banquet dinner at in Memory of Alfred Nobel Nobel Week Dialogue. the Royal Palace. William D. Nordhaus, USA. ‘For integrating climate change into long­run macroeconomic analysis.’ And Paul M. Romer, USA. USEFUL LINKS ‘For integrating technological innovations into long­run macroeconomic analysis.’ www.ki.se Karolinska Institutet

www.kva.se The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

www.nobelpeacecenter.org Nobel Peace Center

www.nobelpeaceprize.org The Norwegian Nobel Committee

www.nobelprize.org The offi cial website of the Nobel Prize

SEK 1 (Swedish krona) = www.svenskaakademien.se The Swedish Academy EUR 0.10, USD 0.11

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