Recently, nations turned their heads over to Norway and Sweden as they awaited an announcement. This announcement was what later made 11 people famous and honoured globally for their contributions across 5 fields. Yes, I am talking about the Nobel Prize awards.
From the US to Venezuela, nations rose up in unison proud to celebrate these 11 winners. But why are these awards so celebrated and how do people win these international awards?
Well, winning the Nobel Prize in any field takes much more than one great act. It requires years of dedication, perseverance and belief. Take Maria Corìna Machado, this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner who had to spend days often in hiding to allow Venezuela transition from an authoritarian rule to a democracy.
When the going got tough for her, she did not just hop on a plane off from Venezuela, rather through her perseverance and dedication, Venezuela now is governed through democracy.
But it’s not just her who earned this award. Every other winner along the years had the temperament that was required to win this award. It took grit to be among the frontrunners for these awards, but to win it was truly to be in another league. But now let’s come to one very thought-provoking question:” Why do these awards matter and how are the winner chosen?”
These awards are presented by a private institution established in 1900 called The Nobel Foundation. The Nobel Foundation is set up after Alfred Nobel. But before we move on, let us understand the role of Alfred Nobel among these awards.
Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist who took notable strides. He was the inventor of dynamite made with nitroglycerin, which was patented in 1867. His invention was intended for use in mines and factories after having lost his brother in a factory explosion. However, his invention began to be used in warfare.
As a declared pacifist, this wrongful usage of his invention sparked controversy and regret. But by this time, he had already patented his inventions including gelignite in 1875 and ballistite in 1887 and had built a vast fortune for himself.
Hence, as a gesture of good will, his will stated that his capital must be used for the establishment of a body that rewards people for their work that benefits humanity. His exact words in the will include,” ….the capital, converted to safe securities by my executors, is to constitute a fund, the interest on which is to be distributed annually as prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.
The interest is to be divided into five equal parts and distributed as follows: one part to the person who made the most important discovery or invention in the field of physics; one part to the person who made the most important chemical discovery or improvement; one part to the person who made the most important discovery within the domain of physiology or medicine; one part to the person who, in the field of literature, produced the most outstanding work in an ideal direction; and one part to the person who has done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and the establishment and promotion of peace congresses.
The prizes for physics and chemistry are to be awarded by the Swedish Academy of Sciences; that for physiological or medical achievements by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm; that for literature by the Academy in Stockholm; and that for champions of peace by a committee of five persons to be selected by the Norwegian Storting. It is my express wish that when awarding the prizes, no consideration be given to nationality, but that the prize be awarded to the worthiest person, whether or not they are Scandinavian.”
Hence this led to the creation of the Nobel Foundation which presides over the awards even today. Today, winners are chosen from 6 categories with an additional winner being accommodated from the Economics field. This award is funded by Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden’s central bank) who created a new prize: “The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.” This award is funded by the central bank but however winners are chosen by the Nobel Foundation. Officially this award is presented in remembrance of Alfred Nobel but people consider it a Nobel Prize as well.
But now we arrive at how are people nominated for these awards. Well, selecting trailblazing individuals from across the globe is not very easy but it is done through meticulous research, analysis, comprehension and evaluation.
Nomination begins with invites being specially sent to individuals across the globe to nominate an individual for their choice. If the candidate meets the requirements and there is no self-nomination, the list will be examined and eventually through evaluation, winners are selected for each category.
But the twist in the tale is that the nomination list is released only 50 years later and this timeline is delayed often. Well, there is a very good reason for that. This is to ensure that those nominated but have not won do not feel humiliated or ashamed publicly. This gap either ensures their passing or means they will not be affected by the publicity of this list.
The Nobel Foundation works hard even today, reaching out to every nation and ensuring everyone who deserves to be recognized is awarded with this prestigious award. After all contribution that could change mankind must be celebrated.
Today this award has been conferred to people ranging from the ages of 17 to 97, as well as diverse nationalities. Laureates get an opportunity to shine and feel appreciated on the global stage, thanks to Alfred Nobel and his Foundation.
While controversies exist, this story is a testament to the saying that a person can be considered influential only if he does things for others and if he is celebrated posthumously too.
This is not the end of a journey but the beginning for aspirants. With the right mindset and dedication, everyone on Earth has a chance to win this award. They just need to pluck up the courage and take the first step.
So before you come to the end of this post, take a moment to reflect on this quote too from the youngest Nobel Prize laureate, Malala Yousafzai, “One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.”
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Credits
Cover image Credits: https://awareness-days.co.uk/.well-known/sgcaptcha/?r=%2Fawareness-day%2Fnobel-prize-2%2F2025-12-10%2F&y=powf:94.205.116.178:1763209332.726
Inside Image Credits:
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nobel-Prize
- https://www.nobelprize.org/
- https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2025/10/reflections-nobel-prize-win-we-moerner-guido-imbens
Must Reads to know more about the Nobel Prizes:
- https://www.nobelprize.org/
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/2025-Nobel-Prize-Winners
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nobel-Prize
- https://awareness-days.co.uk/.well-known/sgcaptcha/?r=%2Fawareness-day%2Fnobel-prize-2%2F2025-12-10%2F&y=powf:94.205.116.178:1763209332.726
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