How much is the Nobel Prize. When was the Nobel Prize established?

In the academic world, one of the most high achievements is the Nobel Prize. For more than a century, this award has been presented annually to scientists, cultural figures and people who have made a huge contribution to the development of social and scientific life. The prize itself was founded by Alfred Nobel. Two years after his death, a will was announced in which he clearly disposed of his property. One of the conditions was the creation of a fund and clear instructions on how much money to give, who will be potential candidates, etc. Thus, the famous award was born, which became a dream and an ideological engine for most scientists and figures.

Of course, many experts agree that political factors could often influence the presentation. In some cases, they contributed to the receipt of the award, while in others they rather hindered, despite obvious merit. Nevertheless, if the candidates for the Peace Prize often caused conflicting opinions among the world community, then most of the merits in the fields of science were awarded unanimously.

Nobel Prize Amount

The size of the Nobel Prize has changed over the years and often depended not only on the instructions of Alfred Nobel himself, but also on the economic situation, fund and other conditions. For example, peak value over the past decade was noted in 2007, when the amount of payments was 1.56 million dollars. By 2011, the amount of the award fell to 1.4 million. The decrease in payments after 2011 is due to the fact that the amount of the award was prohibitively high, because the fund could not even provide the payment of the award itself, not to mention taxation and expenses for the ceremony itself. The size of the Nobel Prize in 2015 amounted to $977 thousand. Due to the severe fall in the Swedish krona, this year's premium has fallen below $1 million. This is the first time in 15 years that this has been the case.

According to the rules from the statute of the Nobel Prize, the amount is initially divided by the number of projects, and only then by their participants. For example, if two winning projects were selected during the presentation, but one of them was led by two people, then each of them will receive ¼ from total amount. If only one award was included in the nomination, then its amount of the Nobel Prize will be divided into equal parts, depending on the number of researchers.

The fifth rule of the statute states that the award does not have to be given, so in theory it may not be given to anyone. This condition comes into force only when the members of the committee cannot find worthy candidates. In this case, all funds are automatically transferred to the next year. If during the subsequent presentation the same scenario occurs, then all the accumulated finances will be transferred to the disposal of the fund itself.

What is the Nobel Prize for?

Almost every person on the planet knows and understands what the Nobel Prize is. Over the years, tens of thousands of scientists, cultural figures and even organizations that have made a significant contribution to various fields have become candidates for it. public life. If we summarize and note who and for what the Nobel Prize is given, then one thing can be said - only the best of the best. All the conditions and rules by which the stages of selection and awarding of candidates take place are spelled out in a special statute, which was the testament of Nobel himself.

It is this document that regulates all conditions. According to the rules, the award can only be given to individuals. Exceptions to the rules are possible only in the case of awarding the Peace Prize, among the candidates of which there may be organizations. For example, in the years of the First and Second World Wars, awards were not held. Only in 1917 and 1944 did one organization win the Nobel Prize. For numerous merits and invaluable help, she became a red cross.

Also, according to the statute, the maximum annual number of people who can receive the award should not exceed three laureates. It is rather remarkable that this rule was introduced much later, namely in 1968, although throughout history it was observed de facto.

The place where the Nobel Prize is awarded has not changed for more than a century. The ceremony was first held in 1901. It is worth noting that annual ceremonies are held in Sweden and Norway, depending on the industry. Stockholm usually hosts awards in chemistry, physics, medicine and physiology, economics and literature. The prizes themselves are awarded to the winners from the hands of the King of Sweden. The Peace Prize is held annually in Oslo, where the award is given by the Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

The most famous and controversial candidates

Given the longevity of the Nobel Prize itself, as well as the candidates, it is clear that some awards will be considered controversial. This happened in the case of two Russian Nobel Prize winners, namely M. Gorbachev and A. Sakharov.

In 1975, Andrei Sakharov was awarded the Peace Prize, which was perceived rather ambiguously. Many doubts were introduced by the fact that the scientist himself was a physicist and took part in the creation of the hydrogen bomb. However, due to his rejection of the party's policies, he was persecuted, and received the award for his staunch fight against the abuse of power and inflexibility against the suppression of other people's dignity by the ruling party. This was not the only case when the presentation had a brightly political color, which was directed against Russia.

The second such case was the presentation of the prize to Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990. Among his merits, the committee noted his great contribution to the graduation process cold war and the changes taking place in the country. This presentation split the opinion of the post-Soviet and west side, since for some the first president was an example, and for others, a person who finally collapsed the USSR.

Also, the presentation of the Peace Prize to Yasser Arafat caused a big scandal. At the heart of the claims to challenge this award lay the fact that the achievement of peace was carried out through radical methods, violence and even terrorist attacks.

Among the famous Russian Nobel Prize winners are also:

I.P. Pavlov (medicine and physiology).
L.V. Kantorovich (contribution to the theory of resource allocation).
Zhores Ivanovich Alferov (semiconductor technology).
Konstantin Sergeevich Novoselov (experiments and research of graphene material).
Nikolai Gennadievich Basov and Alexander Mikhailovich Prokhorov (quantum electronics).

If we talk about the youngest Nobel Prize winner in history, then he became William Lawrence Bragg. He became the owner of the most prestigious award for a scientist at the age of 25 (1910). The Australian has earned a prize in physics for joint research with his father.

Twice Nobel Laureates

Enough interesting fact is that only four people in history have won the Nobel Prize twice.

John Bardeen. American physicist who received the award in 1956 and 1972. He became the only learned man in a world that has won prizes in physics twice.
Linus Pauling. The American chemist won the world award twice. In 1954 in chemistry, and in 1962 received the Peace Prize.
Frederic Senger. The English chemist received the award in 1958 and 1980, both of which were in the field of chemistry.
Maria Sklodowska-Curie. In addition to being the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, she has also been awarded the prestigious award twice. In 1903, a woman received a prize in physics, and in 1911 - in chemistry.

Nobel laureates in 2015

In 2015, 327 people were selected by the committee. Of these, 57 were nominated for the prestigious award for the first time. The Nobel Prize was awarded to:

Angus Deaton. The sixty-nine-year-old Anglo-American won the Economics Prize.
The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet was awarded the Peace Prize for its contribution to the democratization of the country after the revolution in 2011.
Svetlana Alexievich. The Belarusian writer was recognized as the best in the field of literature.
In the field of chemistry this year, three scientists deserved the award at once. World recognition went to Aziz Sankar, Paul Mondrich and Thomas Lindel. They made a huge contribution to the study of repair of damaged DNA.
Arthur McDonald and Takaaki Kajita became laureates in the field of physics.
Three scientists also deserved the prize in medicine: Yuyu Tu, William Campbell and Satoshi Omura.

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One of the key events in the social and intellectual life of Sweden is Nobel Day - the annual Nobel Prize ceremony, which takes place on December 10 in Stockholm's Studhuset (City Hall).

These awards enjoy international recognition as the most honorable civil distinction. The Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Economics are presented to the laureates by His Majesty the King of Sweden at a ceremony held on the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel (December 10, 1896).

Each laureate receives a gold medal with the image of the Nobel and a diploma. Currently, the Nobel Prize is 10 million Swedish kronor (about 1.05 million euros or $1.5 million).

The prizes in chemistry, physics and economics are awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the prizes in medicine are awarded by the Karolinska Institute, and the Swedish Academy awards the literature prize. The only "non-Swedish" prize, the Peace Prize, is awarded in Oslo by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

By the way, the last version of the famous will Nobel signed almost a year before his death - November 27, 1895 in Paris. It was announced in January 1897: “All my movable and immovable property must be turned into liquid values by my executors, and the capital thus collected is placed in a reliable bank. Income from investments should belong to the fund, which will distribute them annually in the form of bonuses to those who during the previous year brought the greatest benefit mankind… The indicated percentages must be divided by five equal parts which are intended: one part - to the one who will do the most important discovery or an invention in the field of physics; the other to the one who makes the most important discovery or improvement in the field of chemistry; the third - to the one who will make the most important discovery in the field of physiology or medicine; the fourth - to the one who will create the most outstanding literary work of an idealistic direction; fifth - to the one who has made the most significant contribution to the rallying of nations, the abolition of slavery or the reduction of the existing armies and the promotion of peace congresses ... My particular desire is that the nationality of candidates should not be taken into account when awarding prizes ... "

Alfred Bernhard Nobel, Swedish inventor, industrial magnate, linguist, philosopher and humanist was born in 1833 in Stockholm in Swedish family. In 1842 his family moved to St. Petersburg, the capital of what was then Russia. Nobel received an excellent education of international class. He read, wrote, spoke and understood equally well in 5 European languages: Swedish, Russian, English, French and German. Nobel went down in history as the inventor of dynamite, a substance that played an important role in the development of world industry.

Alfred Nobel in his life became the owner of 355 patents, which formed the basis of about 90 enterprises in 20 countries of the world. His brothers Robert and Ludovic, who worked in Russia and later in Baku in the oil fields, contributed to the multiplication of his fortune. Alfred Nobel bequeathed $4 million (today's equivalent of $173 million) to be used as prizes in physics, chemistry, physiology and medicine. These areas were close to him, and in them he assumed the greatest progress.

He did not bequeath prizes to architects, musicians and composers. Literature prizes also reflect Nobel's personal interests. In his youth he wrote poetry and poems in English and Swedish, and all his life he was a voracious reader in every language available to him.Prizes in the field of science and literature were supposed to be awarded in Sweden, and the Peace Prize - in Norway. From this will began the history of the Nobel Prize, the fund of which amounted to 31 million crowns.

A year later, on December 10, 1896, Alfred Nobel died in Italy from a stroke. Later this date will be declared Nobel Day. After the opening of the will, it turned out that almost the entire fortune of Nobel was not available to his relatives, who were counting on this money.

Dissatisfaction was shown even by the Swedish king Oscar II, who did not want finances to leave the country, even in the form of world merit awards. There were also objective bureaucratic difficulties. The practical implementation of Nobel's will turned out to be a very difficult task, and under certain conditions the awards could not take place.

But soon all obstacles were overcome, and in June 1898 Nobel's relatives signed an agreement to renounce further claims to capital. Received the approval of the Government of Sweden and the main provisions related to the awarding of prizes. In 1900, the Charter of the Nobel Foundation and the rules governing the activities of the created Nobel structures were signed by the King of Sweden. The prize was first awarded in 1901.

The Nobel Prize has become the most prestigious prize in the fields of physics, chemistry, physiology, medicine, economics, literature and peace efforts among nations. It is paid once a year from the funds of the fund created according to the will of Alfred Nobel. More than 600 people have become Nobel Prize winners during the 20th century.

Awarding of prizes is not always universally approved. In 1953, Sir Winston Churchill received a literary prize, while the famous American writer Graham Greene never received it.

Each country has its own national heroes and often the award or no award is disappointing. The famous Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren has never been nominated for the award, and the Indian Mahatma Gandhi has never won the award. But Henry Kissinger won the Peace Prize in 1973, a year after the Vietnam War. There are known cases of refusal of the prize for reasons of principle: the Frenchman Jean Paul Sartre refused the literary prize in 1964, and the Vietnamese Le Dik Tho did not want to share it with Kissinger.

Nobel Prizes are unique awards and are especially prestigious. The question is often asked why these awards attract so much more attention than any other awards of the 20th century. One reason may be the fact that they were introduced in a timely manner and that they marked some fundamental historical changes in society. Alfred Nobel was a true internationalist, and from the very beginning of the awards named after him, the international nature of the awards made a special impression. Strict rules for the selection of laureates, which have been applied since the inception of the awards, have also played a role in recognizing the importance of the awards in question. As soon as the election of laureates of the current year ends in December, preparations for the election of laureates begin next year. Such a year-round activity, in which so many intellectuals from all over the world participate, orients scientists, writers and public figures to work for the development of society, which precedes the awarding of prizes for "contribution to human progress."

The first Nobel Banquet took place on December 10, 1901, at the same time as the first award ceremony. Currently, the banquet is held in the Blue Hall of the City Hall. 1300-1400 people are invited to the banquet. Dress code - tailcoats and evening dresses. The chefs of the Town Hall Cellar (town hall restaurant) and chefs who have ever received the title of Chef of the Year are involved in the development of the menu. In September, three menu options are tasted by members of the Nobel Committee, who decide what will be served "at the Nobel table." Only dessert is always known - ice cream, but until the evening of December 10, no one, except for a narrow circle of initiates, knows what kind.

For the Nobel banquet, a service and tablecloths with a specially designed design are used. Nobel's portrait is woven on the corner of each tablecloth and napkin. Dishes handmade: along the edge of the plate there is a strip of three colors Swedish Empire - blue, green and gold. The leg of a crystal wine glass is decorated in the same range. The banquet service was commissioned for $1.6 million for the 90th anniversary of the Nobel Prizes in 1991. It consists of 6750 glasses, 9450 knives and forks, 9550 plates and one tea cup. The last one is for Princess Liliana, who doesn't drink coffee. The cup is stored in a special beautiful box made of wood with the princess's monogram. The saucer from the cup was stolen.

The tables in the hall are arranged with mathematical precision, and the hall is decorated with 23,000 flowers sent from San Remo. All movements of the waiters are strictly timed to the nearest second. For example, the ice cream ceremonial takes exactly three minutes from the moment the first waiter appears with a tray at the door until the last of them stands at his table. Serving other dishes takes two minutes.

Exactly at 19:00 on December 210, guests of honor, led by the king and queen, descend the stairs to the Blue Hall, where all the guests are already sitting. The Swedish king leads the Nobel laureate by the arm, and if there is none, the wife of the Nobel laureate in physics. The first is a toast to His Majesty, the second - in memory of Alfred Nobel. After that, the mystery of the menu is revealed. The menu is printed in small print on the maps attached to each place, and is decorated with a gold-embossed profile of Alfred Nobel. Music plays throughout the dinner - very famous musicians are invited, including Rostropovich and Magnus Lindgren in 2003.

The banquet ends with the removal of ice cream topped like a crown with a chocolate monogram-monogram "N". At 22:15, the Swedish king gives a sign to start dancing in the Golden Hall of the Town Hall. At 1:30 the guests disperse.

Absolutely all dishes from the menu, from 1901 onwards, can be ordered at the restaurant of the town hall of Stockholm. Such a meal costs a little less than $200. Every year they are ordered by 20 thousand visitors, and traditionally the menu of the last Nobel banquet is the most popular.

The Nobel Concert is one of the three components of the Nobel Week, along with the awarding of prizes and the Nobel Dinner. Considered one of the major European musical events of the year and the main musical event of the year Scandinavian countries. The most prominent classical musicians of our time take part in it. In fact, there are two Nobel concerts: one is held on December 8 of each year in Stockholm, the second - in Oslo at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. The Nobel Concert is broadcast on several international TV channels on December 31 every year.Quote from Vladimir_Grinchev

Nobel Prize

The founder of the famous award was born in Sweden in 1833. His parents were engineers, and Nobel himself, having received a versatile education, worked in the field of chemistry, engineering and, among other things, an inventor.

By acquiring the metallurgical concern Bofors, Alfred Nobel directed his talents to the development of weapons. In this he was quite successful. On his account - 355 inventions that brought him a considerable fortune. One of Nobel's most famous inventions is dynamite.

Oddly enough, the scientific world owes the Nobel Prize to dynamite. It so happened that in 1888, one of the French newspapers, by mistake of one of its employees, published an obituary on Alfred Nobel, who was quite alive and well at that time. The article made Nobel think about how humanity will remember him and he decided to transfer all the money earned to the fund, which will annually distribute them in the form of prizes to those who during the previous year brought the greatest benefit to humanity.

Award Rules

The Nobel Foundation was not organized immediately. All documents were approved in 1897, the foundation was established in 1900, and the first award ceremony was held in 1901. According to the will of the inventor and founder, the award is given for especially important discoveries, inventions and improvements in five areas approved by Nobel:

Physics
Chemistry
Physiology and medicine
Literature
Promoting world peace.

According to Nobel's instructions, several organizations became responsible for awarding the prize: four in Sweden and one in Norway. So for choosing the laureate who will be awarded the Peace Prize by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The Karolinska Institute is responsible for awarding the Physiology and Medicine Prize. The Swedish Academy received the right to award the Literature Prize, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences was entrusted with the right to award Prizes in Physics and Chemistry.

There are a few more mandatory conditions: to award prizes only for discoveries made within one year, and also to give the prize to no more than three laureates in one field. The first of the rules is actually not respected today: breakthrough discoveries in niche days are far from being made every year. But the limit on the number of laureates, officially approved only in 1968, has always been respected.

Economics was not originally included by Nobel in the list of areas in which the prize is awarded. But in 1969, on the initiative of the Swedish Bank, a prize named after him in economics was also established. It is awarded under the same conditions as other Nobel Prizes. In the future, the board of the Nobel Foundation decided to no longer increase the number of nominations.

By the way, if there are two or three laureates, the amount of the prize is divided among the laureates as follows: the prize is first divided equally among the works, and then equally among their authors. Thus, if two different discoveries are awarded, one of which was made by two, then they receive 1/4 of the monetary part of the award. And if one discovery is awarded, which was made by two or three, everyone receives equally (1/2 or 1/3 of the prize, respectively).

Presentation of the Nobel Prize

The award ceremony is held every year on December 10 in Stockholm and Oslo. In Stockholm, awards in the field of physics, chemistry, physiology and medicine, literature and economics are awarded by the King of Sweden, and in the field of peace protection - by the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee - in Oslo, in the city hall, in the presence of the King of Norway and members of the royal family.

Along with a cash prize, the size of which varies depending on the income received from the Nobel Foundation, the laureates are awarded a medal with his image and a diploma. The laureate is required to deliver the so-called "Nobel Memorial Lecture", which is then published by the Nobel Foundation in a special volume.

The award ceremony program has not changed since 1901. The regulations are approved and verified to the nearest second. The program includes the award ceremony itself, as well as the Nobel Banquet and the obligatory Nobel Concert.

The Nobel Concert is considered one of the most important musical events of the year in Europe and the main musical event of the year in the Scandinavian countries. The most prominent classical musicians of our time take part in the concert. In connection with the two award ceremonies (in Stockholm and Oslo), two Nobel concerts are held: one - on December 8 of each year in Stockholm, the second - in Oslo at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.

According to the regulations, the Nobel Prize cannot be awarded to the same person twice, but any rule has exceptions. Four scientists have been awarded the prize twice:

Maria Skłodowska-Curie, in Physics in 1903 and in Chemistry in 1911.
Linus Pauling, in chemistry in 1954 and the Peace Prize in 1962.
John Bardeen, two prizes in physics, in 1956 and 1972.
Frederick Senger, two prizes in chemistry, in 1958 and 1980.

In addition, the Nobel Prize was awarded several times to the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1917, 1944 and 1963, as well as to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 1954 and 1981.

A lot of conjectures and jokes are also generated by the absence of mathematics in the list of sciences for which the prize is awarded. The exact reason is unknown to this day. According to the director of the executive committee of the Nobel Foundation: “There is not a word about this in the archives. Rather, mathematics simply did not fall within the scope of Nobel's interests. He bequeathed money for prizes in areas close to him.

True, they say that either the wife or the bride of Alfred Nobel preferred mathematics and therefore Nobel excluded science from the list. However, mathematicians and computer scientists were not left without a prize. The "equivalents" of the Nobel Prize in mathematics are the Fields Prize and the Abel Prize, in the field of computer science - the Turing Prize.

The Nobel Prize ceremony is a global event and one of the most important scientific world. Ceremonies are broadcast annually, gathering a considerable number of audiences at television screens. The action is very beautiful, although somewhat boring.

nobel prize laureate awarding

The Nobel Prize is one of the most prestigious international prizes awarded for outstanding Scientific research, revolutionary inventions or major contributions to culture or society. The award can only be awarded individuals, not institutions (other than peace prizes) and only once (there are a few exceptions to this rule). The Peace Prize may be awarded both to individuals and to officials and public organizations. The prize cannot be awarded jointly to more than three persons (a decision to this effect was made in 1968). The prize can be awarded posthumously only if the applicant was alive at the time of the announcement of the award (usually in October), but died before December 10 of the current year (the decision was made in 1974).

The Nobel Prizes were established in accordance with the will of Alfred Nobel, drawn up by him on November 27, 1895: "All my movable and immovable property must be converted by my executors into liquid values, and the capital thus collected is placed in reliable bank. The income from investments should belong to the fund, which will distribute them annually in the form of bonuses to those who during the previous year have brought the greatest benefit to mankind ... The indicated percentages must be divided into five equal parts, which are intended: one part - to the one who makes the most important discovery or an invention in the field of physics; the other to the one who makes the most important discovery or improvement in the field of chemistry; the third, to the one who makes the most important discovery in the field of physiology or medicine; the fourth - to the one who will create the most outstanding literary work of the idealistic trend; fifth, to the one who has made the most significant contribution to the rallying of nations, the abolition of slavery or the reduction of the existing armies and the promotion of peace congresses ... My particular desire is that the nationality of candidates should not be taken into account when awarding prizes ... ".

Thus, the Nobel will provided for the allocation of funds for awards to representatives of only five areas:

Literature (awarded since 1901, in Sweden);

Physics (awarded since 1901, in Sweden);

Chemistry (awarded since 1901, in Sweden);

Physiology and Medicine (awarded since 1901, in Sweden);

Promoting world peace (awarded since 1901, in Norway);

In 1968, the Swedish Bank, on the occasion of its 300th anniversary, proposed a prize in the field of economics. After some hesitation, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences assumed the role of awarding institution in this field, following the same principles and rules that apply to the original Nobel Prizes. The said prize, which was established in memory of Alfred Nobel, is awarded on December 10, following the presentation of other Nobel laureates. Officially referred to as the Alfred Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, it was first awarded in 1969.

The Nobel Foundation was established in 1900 as a private, independent non-governmental organization, with an initial capital of 31 million SEK (in today's prices, this amount is equivalent to about 1.5 billion SEK). The first prizes were 150,000 crowns. At present, the capital of the fund is 2 billion 966 million Swedish kronor (approximately 450 million US dollars).

Alfred Nobel bequeathed 94% of his fortune to the organization of the prize in five areas of knowledge that were of interest to him. Further, more about what the prize is awarded for, what Alfred Nobel is generally known for, and why there is no Nobel Prize in mathematics.

What is Alfred Nobel famous for?

Many people know Alfred Nobel only as the person whose name the prize is named after, which is awarded annually in several directions. This one was born a famous person in the first half of the nineteenth century, and died four years before its end. Alfred Nobel owns 355 different patents, his most famous invention being dynamite. This Swedish chemist, inventor, engineer and entrepreneur has also done charity work.

Alfred Nobel lived part of his life in Russia, from his youth he was fluent in four languages: English, German, French and Russian. After seven years of living in St. Petersburg, Alfred's father sent him to study in the United States, the Russian chemist Nikolai Zinin advised him to do so. Along the way, the young man visited several European countries, and when he arrived in the United States, he worked for the inventor John Ericsson, who designed the Monitor battleship, the Noverti locomotive and became the owner of several more patents. Nobel filed his first American patent for a gas meter in 1857, but the first patent he received was for determining how to make gunpowder (1863).

Upon returning to Russia, Alfred Nobel took up the affairs of a family firm that fulfilled orders for the Russian army. The Crimean War contributed to the prosperity of the company, but after it the factories could not return to normal production, and the family declared itself bankrupt. Nobel's parents returned to Sweden, and he devoted himself to the study of explosives. In 1863 he invented the detonator, in 1867 - dynamite. In total, he patented 355 inventions.

History of the establishment of the Nobel Prize

In 1888, when Nobel's brother died, newspapers mistakenly announced the death of Albert himself, and not his brother. When he read his own obituary "Dealer of Death" in a French newspaper, he seriously thought about how he would be remembered by mankind. After that, he decided to change his will.

Nobel's will suggested that all movable and immovable property of the compiler should be converted into monetary units, which should be placed in a safe financial institution. All income must belong to a specially created fund, which will distribute it in the form of cash bonuses to those who last year brought the greatest benefit to human society. It was his particular desire that the nationality of the candidate should not be taken into account when awarding prizes.

At first, the paper was received with skepticism. Relatives of Alfred Nobel called themselves offended and demanded that the document be officially recognized as illegal. The Nobel Foundation and the presentation of prizes were organized by the executors of his will - the secretary R. Sulman and the lawyer R. Lilekvist. Later, separate institutions were identified, which were engaged in the awarding of individual prizes. When the Swedish-Norwegian Union was terminated, the Norwegian Committee became responsible for awarding the peace prize, and the organizations of Sweden - for the rest.

Rules for awarding the prize to them. A. Nobel

The statute of the Nobel Foundation determines the rules for awarding the prize. Only individuals can be nominated, not organizations (except for the Peace Prize, which can be awarded to both individuals and official organizations). In one year, one or two discoveries in the same field may be encouraged, but the number of laureates should not exceed three. The rule was officially added in 1968, but in fact it has always been observed.

What is the Nobel Prize for? Behind outstanding discoveries in five directions: physics, chemistry, medicine and physiology, literature, promotion of peace in the world.

Between several candidates, the monetary reward is divided in this way: first in equal parts between the works, then according to the same principle between their authors. For example, if two discoveries are awarded, then the allocated money is first divided by two. The first work has two authors - half is divided once again equally, and the second - one - half is awarded to him.

Also, the award should not be awarded posthumously. But if the laureate was alive at the time of the Nobel Prize, but was taken to another world before the ceremony, then the prize is retained by him. This rule came into effect in 1974. Until that moment, the Nobel Prize had been awarded posthumously twice: Dag Hammarskjöld (by the way, he was the first to refuse the prize during his lifetime, citing the fact that he held a position in the Nobel Committee, and that he was little known outside of Sweden) and Eric Karlfeldt, the winner of the 1961 Peace Prize of the year. According to the approved rule, the award was retained by William Vickrey. Only once did the Nobel Committee deviate from the rule by awarding Ralph Steiman posthumously, since at the time of the nomination the committee considered him alive.

If the members of the Nobel Committee in the current year did not find worthy candidates, the prize may not be awarded. In this case cash kept until next year.

Areas in which awards are given

Alfred Nobel indicated in his will that the interest from the contribution must be divided into 5 equal parts, which are intended:

the one who makes the most important discovery or invention in the field of physics;
one who makes an improvement or an important discovery in the field of chemistry;
one who makes a discovery in the field of physiology or medicine;
the one who will create the most outstanding literary work;
the one who will make the most important contribution to the rallying of nations, the reduction of armies, the abolition of slavery, the promotion of peace conferences.

So Alfred Nobel determined what to give the Nobel Prize for.

But Nobel refused the prize to famous mathematicians. To the question of why there is no Nobel Prize in mathematics, he himself could not answer, since the will (as it should) was made public after his departure to another world. Be that as it may, the inventor and entrepreneur provided for awards in only five areas.

Why there is no Nobel Prize in mathematics has been asked before, but the committee is not going to expand the list of prizes, for which it has been criticized more than once. Its representatives answer that since only five directions were allocated in the will of the founder of the award, it means that they will give awards in five. No more, no less.

Russian Nobel Prize winners

The list of Russian laureates includes persons who, at the time of awarding the prize, had the citizenship of Russia, the USSR, Russian Empire, regardless of their real nationality at that time. The first Nobel Prize winner from Russia was I. Pavlov for discoveries in physiology digestive system. I. Mechnikov (for works on immunity), I. Bunin (Nobel Prize in Literature), N. Semenov (chemistry), B. Pasternak (literature), P. Cherenkov, I. Tamm and I. Frank (physics), L. Landau (physics), N. Basov, A. Prokhorov (physics), M. Sholokhov (literature), A. Solzhenitsyn (literature), A. Sakharov (peace prize) and others.

Why there is no Nobel Prize in Mathematics

But still, the Nobel Prize in mathematics is not awarded. Why is there no Nobel Prize in Mathematics? Alfred Nobel noted in his will that he chose all disciplines after a balanced and deliberate analysis. But the train of thought of the inventor and entrepreneur remained unknown.

The most likely version of why mathematicians are not awarded the Nobel Prize is the following fact: Nobel insisted that inventions should give real benefits to all mankind, and mathematics is still an exclusively theoretical science. After all, most of the population doesn't care if Fermat's Theorem is proven or not. But if the queen of sciences is applied to physics or chemistry, outstanding scientists are awarded precisely in these disciplines.

Versions related to private life

There is also a version that Alfred Nobel's wife allegedly cheated on him with a mathematician. It was for this that the scientist became angry with the queen of sciences and did not add her to the will. In fact, Nobel was not married at all, and this is just a catchy explanation. At forty-three, he advertised in the newspaper that he was looking for a housewife, translator and secretary all rolled into one. Bertha Kinsky responded to the ad. But soon she left for Austria and got married, and relations with Alfred remained exceptionally friendly.

By the way, it was Bertha Kinski who advised Nobel to include the Peace Prize in his will. Later, the Nobel Foundation presented this prize to her.

Another version is Alfred Nobel's dislike for the mathematician Mittag-Leffler. Then it was he who was one of the most likely contenders for the first prize. The reasons for the hostility are not exactly known. Some sources claim that Mittag-Leffler tried to woo Nobel's fiancee, others that he annoyingly demanded donations to Stolkholm University. It can be assumed that this was also the reason for the exclusion of the queen of sciences from their list.

"Ghosts" of the Nobel Prize in Mathematics

Although the Nobel Prize in mathematics is not awarded, there are several awards that replace it. The equivalents are the Fields Medal, the Abel Prize, and the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economics.