Nobel Prize season 2025: Who will win the coveted awards?

Nobel Prize season 2025: Who will win the coveted awards?

What's happening in Stockholm? The eagerly awaited Nobel Prize season begins on Monday, October 5, 2025. In the coming days, the world's most prestigious awards will be presented for outstanding contributions to humanity. The announcements of the science prizes start with the categories of physiology and medicine and continue over the next few days with physics, chemistry, literature and finally the Nobel Peace Prize, which will be awarded in Oslo on Friday. The Economics Prize, however, will be announced on Monday, October 12th.

Nobel Prizes, which for many are the crowning achievement of recognized achievements, were awarded for the first time in 1901, five years after the death of Alfred Nobel. This extraordinary man, born in 1833, had stipulated in his will that his assets should flow into a fund, the interest from which would be used to award the prizes. These assets amounted to approximately 31.2 million crowns. Nowadays, the prize money in each category is around 11 million Swedish kroner, which is almost a million euros. Interestingly, the money is split between multiple winners, which makes the announcement even greater.

How is selection made?

The winners are selected by academic institutions in Sweden. The Swedish Academy of Sciences is responsible for the prizes in physics and chemistry, while the Karolinska Institute determines the winners in medicine. The Stockholm Academy is responsible for the literary prizes and a commission of the Norwegian Parliament is responsible for the Nobel Peace Prize. Nomination proposals can be submitted until January 31st of each year, but only by individuals and not by institutions. Ex-Nobel Prize winners and professors from Scandinavian universities often have a good hand and can be found among the nominators.

Secrecy is of great importance: the names of the nominees are kept secret for 50 years, which increases the anticipation until the night of the announcement. After all, US President Donald Trump was nominated by several politicians - whether he will fit in among the 338 candidates remains an exciting question.

About Alfred Nobel

Nobel himself was not only a Swedish inventor, but also one of the wealthiest men of his time. He was passionate about chemistry and physics, and medical subjects were also close to his heart, as he had fragile health. After his discovery of dynamite, which he patented in 1867, he built a fortune and owned over 90 dynamite factories around the world. A serious loss in his family, his brother Emil's accident during a nitroglycerin experiment, led Nobel to complete his laboratory in Stockholm and think about the safe handling of explosive materials.

The Nobel Foundation, which was founded in 1900, manages assets worth four billion crowns and has been tax-exempt since 1946. The Nobel Peace Prize, a building block in the tradition of Nobel's legacy, can be awarded to both individuals and institutions, with its roots also going back to the commitment of the pacifist Bertha von Suttner.

This tradition continues what the Swedish industrialist, who died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1896, once brought to life. The Nobel Prize remains a symbol of progress and innovation in human history. Who will receive the prestigious awards this year? The eyes of the world are eagerly focused on Stockholm and Oslo.

For more information about the Nobel Prizes you can Schwarzwälder Bote, Planet Knowledge and Wikipedia.