This year, the Nobel Prize winners will be announced between October 7 and 14. The six coveted prizes recognize accomplishments in science, economics, literature, and peace.
The prizes were originally given out in 1901, and past recipients, or laureates, have included Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King Jr. Not only can individuals receive the prizes, but so can organisations.
On numerous occasions, multiple people or organizations—or an individual and an organization—have shared a Nobel Prize.
To win a Nobel, one has to be nominated first. This year, the Nobel Peace Prize, arguably the most watched award of the six on offer, had 286 nominations – 197 individuals and 89 organisations.But how do people get nominated to start with?
How does one get nominated for a Nobel Prize?
The committee tasked with selecting the winner for each award sends out nomination forms or invitations for proposals to “qualified nominators”.
The deadline for nominations this year was January 31. Most years, the deadline is around the end of January.
Nominations sent after the deadline are typically considered in the following year’s assessment, the Nobel Prize website says
What are the six Nobel Prizes?
The prizes are awarded for advancements in:
Physics
Chemistry
Physiology or medicine
Literature
Peace
Economics
The Nobel in economics is actually known as the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences. Unlike the other Nobel Prizes, this was first awarded in 1969.