Nobel Prize. What is the Nobel Prize? How much money is given for the Nobel Prize?
What is the Nobel Prize? We can give a short answer to this question. This is a prestigious award given annually to writers, scientists and public figures. But on what basis are these outstanding individuals awarded? Who makes the final decision on awarding a prize to a particular candidate? Comprehensive answers to these questions are contained in the article. The names of historical figures and writers who were once nominated for the Nobel Prize (Russian and foreign) are also given here.
Who is Nobel?
Until 1901, no one knew what the Nobel Prize was. Because it simply did not exist. The award ceremony was organized several years after the death of Alfred Nobel. What preceded this event?
The Swedish engineer, chemist and inventor was born in 1833, in the family of an impoverished descendant of the scientist Olof Rudbeck. Since childhood, Alfred was interested in technology and science. Until the age of sixteen, he lived with his parents in Russia. True, the future philanthropist was born in Stockholm. Nobel the father moved to St. Petersburg with his family in 1833.
Great Inventor
Alfred left his father's house at the age of 16. By that time, the financial situation had improved somewhat, and the parents were able to give their inquisitive son a good education. In Europe, Nobel intensively studied chemistry. He was especially interested in explosives, a field of science whose research led Nobel to the invention of dynamite in 1863. Four years later, the scientist received the corresponding patent, which allowed him to subsequently become one of the richest people in the world.
Without going into details of the professional activities of the famous Swede, let's move on to the final part of his biography. It is this that will bring us closer to obtaining a detailed answer to the question of what the Nobel Prize is.
Merchant of Death
Scientists tend to have a fanatical attitude towards their own work. Sometimes they commit the greatest crimes in their research without even noticing it. Nobel produced and widely advertised his product without thinking about the consequences of the development of dynamite production. For this he was nicknamed “the millionaire on blood.” This is how posterity would have remembered the restless researcher under an offensive nickname, if not for one incident.
One fine spring morning (although, perhaps, it happened during the winter frost or autumn storm), the world-famous scientist woke up in his Stockholm apartment and, as usual, fondly remembered the passion of his life - dynamite. In a pleasant mood, Nobel went to the living room to drink a cup of espresso and think about a new plan to improve the technology for producing a mixture based on nitroglycerin. The scientist opened a fresh newspaper... and the thoughts caressing the soul dissipated like yesterday’s dream. On the first page he saw a message about his own death.
The world community would never have known what the Nobel Prize was if not for the mistake of an absent-minded reporter who, when writing an obituary, confused the creator of dynamite with his brother. Nobel was not upset about the death of his relative. He wasn't too upset by his own obituary either. Nobel did not like the definition that the “scribbler” gave him for the sake of a catchphrase - “merchant of death.”
Nobel Foundation
In order to change the course of events and not remain in the memory of descendants as a Millionaire on Blood or a Dynamite King, Alfred Nobel immediately sat down to draw up a will.
So, the document is ready. What is it talking about? After Nobel's death, all his property must be sold, the proceeds deposited in an account in a reliable bank. The resulting profit goes to a newly established fund, which, in turn, distributes it annually according to a strict scheme, dividing it into five equal parts. Each of them constitutes a monetary prize due to a scientist, writer or fighter for world peace. In his will, Nobel emphasized that the choice of a candidate should in no way be influenced by his nationality or citizenship.
The millionaire's relatives were furious when they learned about the will, and for a long time tried to challenge its authenticity. But that's a completely different story.
Rules for selecting a candidate
The Nobel Prize winner can be a physicist, chemist, scientist who made a discovery in the field of medicine or physiology, or the author of an outstanding literary work.
A public figure who has made a significant contribution to the abolition of slavery and the unity of nations is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. A committee named after the scientist is responsible for it. The remaining awards are approved by the following organizations:
- Karolinska Institute (prize in medicine or physiology).
- Swedish Academy (Literature Prize).
- Royal Swedish Academy (prizes in chemistry and physics).
The prize cannot be awarded posthumously. But if, of course, the applicant died after the committee’s announcement and did not live to see the award ceremony, it remains with him. But what if there is no worthy candidate from a particular field? In this case, the prize is not awarded, and the funds are retained until the next year.
Cash bonus amount
The amount is different every year. After all, the profit from transactions from which bonuses are paid cannot be fixed. So, in 2016 it amounted to $1.1 million. And in 2007 - $1.56 million. In addition, several years ago the fund decided to reduce the premium to 20% in order to prevent a decrease in the organization's capital in the future.
It is worth saying that nomination for an award is an interesting and mysterious process. It is attended not only by members of the organizations listed above, but also by more than three thousand people (usually researchers) working in certain fields, as well as former laureates. However, the names of the nominees are kept secret for 50 years.
The presentation of the Nobel Prize is a very solemn event, attended by more than a thousand people. The banquet menu and the decoration of the hall in which it is held is a separate topic that cannot be covered in one article. Therefore, let’s move on to the most interesting part of our story, namely the names of the winners of the most prestigious award. Since their list is very extensive, we will name the most famous personalities, and first of all our compatriots.
Nobel Prize in Literature
No matter how talented a writer may be, he will not be awarded this prize if he does not strive to convey to his readers the bright, eternal. It is received by humanists, idealists, fighters for justice and those who have made a significant contribution to the development of literature. A total of 107 awards were awarded (by 2017). In 1904, 1917, 1966 and 1974, committee members were unable to find a worthy candidate.
Thus, in 1933, Ivan Bunin was awarded a prize for excellence in promoting the development of classical Russian prose. Boris Pasternak a quarter of a century later - for high achievements in lyric poetry and continuation of the traditions of the epic novel. It is worth saying that the title of the work was not included in the justification for the award. Nevertheless, the author of Doctor Zhivago was subjected to severe oppression in his homeland. It was considered good form to scold Pasternak's novel. At the same time, only a few people read it. After all, the book was banned in the USSR for a long time.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn was awarded the prize due to his high moral strength and adherence to the traditions of the Russian epic novel. He did not show up for the ceremony. Not because I was busy, but because they didn’t let me in. Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich is the last Russian-speaking Nobel Prize laureate. Writer Mikhail Sholokhov was also awarded.
Andrey Sakharov
What Nobel Prize was awarded to the Soviet scientist, one of the creators of the hydrogen bomb? Prizes in physics or perhaps chemistry? No. Andrei Sakharov is a peace prize laureate. He received it for his human rights activities and speeches against the development of nuclear weapons.
As already mentioned, the names of the nominees become known only after 50 years. Their number once included Leo Tolstoy, Erich Maria Remarque, which is not surprising. Tolstoy is a great humanist. Remarque actively criticized the fascist dictatorship in his books. But some of the names of the Nobel Peace Prize nominees that have become famous are truly puzzling. Hitler and Mussolini. The first was nominated in 1939, the second four years earlier. Lenin could also have been nominated for the Peace Prize. However, the First World War interfered.
8 million crowns this year is 98% of the monetary component of the very first Nobel Prize, which was awarded in 1901, experts have calculated. Each prize cannot be awarded to more than three persons. If two or three laureates are awarded for one scientific discovery, the amount of the award is divided equally. During the ceremony, the laureate makes a speech. The rest of the awards are presented in Stockholm by the King of Sweden.
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. According to the rules of the Nobel Prize statute, the amount is initially divided by the number of projects, and only then by their participants. The fifth rule of the statute states that the award does not have to be given, so in theory it could not be given to anyone.
Monetary equivalent of the Nobel Prize. Reference
Premiums are paid from interest, mainly from securities and real estate. A tenth of the income is allocated annually to increase the main fund. The remainder is divided into five parts and made available to the awarding institutions. From each portion, an amount is withheld to cover expenses related to the activities of the Nobel Foundation and the Nobel Prize Award Committees, as well as to finance Nobel institutions. In 2003, the Nobel Prize was worth 1.35 million dollars, in 2004 - 1.32 million dollars, in 2005 - 1.3 million dollars.
Several years ago, the fund decided to reduce the premium to 20% in order to prevent a decrease in the organization's capital in the future. It is attended not only by members of the organizations listed above, but also by more than three thousand people (usually researchers) working in certain fields, as well as former laureates. The presentation of the Nobel Prize is a very solemn event, attended by more than a thousand people. Therefore, let’s move on to the most interesting part of our story, namely the names of the winners of the most prestigious award.
No matter how talented a writer may be, he will not be awarded this prize if he does not strive to convey to his readers the bright, eternal. A total of 107 awards were awarded (by 2017). In 1904, 1917, 1966 and 1974, committee members were unable to find a worthy candidate. Alexander Solzhenitsyn was awarded the prize due to his high moral strength and adherence to the traditions of the Russian epic novel. Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich is the last Russian-speaking Nobel Prize laureate.
December 10, the day of death Alfreda Nobel, The Nobel Prize will be awarded at the Stockholm Philharmonic. Each laureate will receive King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden a gold medal with a portrait of the founder of the award and a diploma. The size of the monetary component of the award this year, as in the previous three years, reaches 8 million crowns (about 59 million rubles).
Who is up for the award this year?
Until the last moment, Nobel committees say nothing about the candidates for the prize or those who nominated them, and experts are trying to make assumptions about the names kept secret.
Every year, Thomson Reuters tries to predict who will win awards based on researchers' citation rankings.
— Physics
In the field of physics, the award may be given for the experimental detection of gravitational waves. Three physicists are named among the main contenders for the prize: Rainer Weiss, professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ronald Drever, a Scottish physicist and laser specialist, and Kippah Torna, physicist and astronomer, a world-recognized expert in the field of general relativity.
Thomson Reuters' citation count names two more teams of scientists vying for the Nobel Prize in Physics. So, professor was named as a possible candidate Marvin Cohen for the study of the properties of solids, mathematical methods for calculating their properties, and especially for the empirical method of pseudopotentials. Also among the possible candidates are Celso Grebogi, Edward Ott And James York for his contribution to the theory of control of chaotic systems. The OGY method they developed has found wide application in studying the behavior of chaotic systems in mechanics, laser physics, radiophysics, chemistry, biology and medicine.
Can apply for a prize in chemistry George Church And Feng Zhan, who managed to edit the genomes of mice and humans using the system responsible for the development of acquired immunity in bacteria. The system turned out to be possible to use for editing genes in animals and humans, in particular, for removing HIV from infected T-lymphocytes.
In addition to them, he can count on a reward Dennis Law who developed a method for detecting cell-free fetal DNA in maternal blood plasma, which will help diagnose certain genetic diseases, and X Iroshi Maeda with Yasuhiro Matsumura, who discovered the effect of increased permeability and retention for macromolecular drugs.
- Economy
Among the likely candidates for the award is: Edward Lazear for his work in the field of personnel economics, which concerns the development of new models of employee motivation, career growth and productivity, as well as Olivier Blanchard for contributions to macroeconomics and the study of the determinants of economic instability and employment.
The third candidate was named Mark Melitz for his studies of heterogeneity (heterogeneity) of firms in international trade.
— Peace Prize
May be eligible for the Peace Prize former US intelligence agent Edward Snowden and Pope Francis.
How many people have received the Nobel Prize during its existence?
Since 1901, 881 people and 23 organizations have received the award. It was not awarded during the First and Second World Wars. The United States leads in the number of laureates (359 people), Great Britain is in second place (121 people), and Germany is in third place (104 people). Russia has 27 laureates.
Voluntarily refused the French award writer Jean-Paul Sartre and Vietnamese politician Le Duc Tho. Three were forced not to receive it. Adolf Gitler banned chemist Richard Kuhn, biochemist Adolf Butenandt and bacteriologist Gerhard Domagk accept the prize, and the Soviet writer Boris Pasternak At first he agreed to accept the award, but then, under pressure from the authorities, he refused.
Initially, the Nobel Prize was made up of the annual profits of the Alfred Nobel Foundation, which were distributed among the laureates in five areas. Consequently, the size of the Nobel Prize was different every year.
Now no one can say exactly how much the holdings of Alfred Nobel himself were valued, since family assets were closely mixed in various investments in different countries of the world. After 5 years of work to establish the Nobel Fund, its volume was estimated at SEK 31,587,202.
In 1901, the monetary equivalent of the first Nobel Prize was 150,782 crowns. It is easy to calculate that a little more than 750,000 crowns were spent on just 5 award nominations, that is, a little more than 2.38 percent of all amounts at the disposal of the fund.
The real value of the Nobel Prize is also difficult to calculate due to changes in the purchasing power of the Swedish krona. However, the Nobel Committee provides approximate figures. Thus, 150,782 crowns awarded in 1901, at the 2011 exchange rate, correspond to 8,123,951 crowns, or more than 900 thousand euros.
From year to year, the part of the fund that went to pay bonuses changed. Apparently, this is due to the different profitability of the Alfred Nobel Foundation's investments, but it is impossible to say for sure, because the foundation began publishing financial statements only in 1975, after being exempt from taxes.
And the Swedish krona itself was valued differently in different years. It is believed that the most unsuccessful year for Nobel laureates was 1919. This year the award amounted to 133,127 crowns, which compared to the amount of 1901 does not look so bad. But it was a bad year for the Swedish krona, and in 2011 prices the 1919 premium is estimated at 2,254,284 kronor today. The biggest year for the Nobel Prize was 2001. Marking the beginning of the new millennium, members of the Nobel Committee decided to make the payment amounts fixed. And since 2001, the Nobel Prize has been worth 10 million Swedish kronor. However, the inflation of the Swedish krona has not been canceled. Therefore, it was most profitable in monetary terms to receive the Nobel Prize in 2001.
It is impossible to say exactly how much the Nobel Foundation manages today. According to 2007 estimates, this is 3.62 billion crowns. At the same time, the rules for distributing amounts between laureates have also changed. Since the Nobel Foundation regularly receives donations, since 1980 the amounts have been untied from the actual profits of the foundation and, for convenience, began to be adjusted to the inflation rate of the Swedish krona. In 1981, the premium amounted to 1 million crowns, in 1986 - 2 million, in 1989 - 3 million, in 1990 - 4 million, in 1991 - 6 million crowns. In the mid-1990s, the premium grew to 7 million, and by the end it reached 9 million. And from 2001 to this day, the premium amount is exactly 10 million Swedish kronor. It is possible that the amounts will be adjusted again in the future. If not, then getting a Nobel Prize will become less and less profitable every year.
Nobel Prize. Only the deaf have not heard of it. The most honorable reward for luminaries of science, culture and art. This is a kind of Oscar, but not for those who shine on the big screen, but for those who reveal the secrets of nature in a small room or write a literary masterpiece.
However, how much is this gratitude expressed today? In this article we will figure out how much money is given for a Nobel Prize, for example, in 2015 or 2016, and why previously the amount varied constantly, but now it has its own standard. And so, let's go.
History of the award
As is usually the case, we will start with history, in this case with the history of the birth of the award.
The award itself is named after the Swedish inventor, engineer and industrialist Alfred Bernhard Nobel. In addition to the fact that the monetary reward bears his name, money for this is also allocated from his fund.
The ceremony dates back to 1901; since then, a special commission has been identifying the best in the field of medicine, chemistry, physiology, literature, physics and peace protection. Since 1969, economics has been added to this list. It is not known whether we should expect another expansion of the list, but in any case, there is no official discussion on this matter.
Reward Appearance
Here you can almost retell the legend about this incident. Its appearance is usually associated with one tragic situation that occurred in the life of Alfred Nobel.
As you know, he is considered the inventor of dynamite, and so, in 1889, due to negligence, his brother Ludwig died suddenly, after which a careless journalist mentioned Alfred as a merchant of death. Of course, he didn’t like it, and he absolutely did not want to die, leaving such a terrible memory of himself.
Therefore, he decided to cleanse his karma, so to speak, and in his will he asked to sell all his, by the way, not a small property, and with the money received to buy securities, with the help of which the fund was founded. The scientist ordered that the interest that remained after the initial capital be distributed among the five best specialists in their field (I have already described the nominations above).
Reward size
Well, here we come to the main question. At the very beginning, it was difficult to determine the exact amount of payments, since it directly depended on the accumulated interest. However, it is safe to say that the first payment was equal to 150 thousand Swiss crowns.
Since then, its amount has only increased and reached a million and a half dollars. However, as it turned out, recently the interest has become insufficient for holding the ceremony, maintaining the administration and the award itself. That is, the balance went into minus. And if the fund goes bankrupt, then there will be no bonus.
Therefore, it was decided to fix the payment amount at $1.1 million, so that the bonus would be paid for as long as possible, and perhaps indefinitely. It’s easy to calculate how much it is in rubles.
Did you know that thanks to Nobel’s relatives, the prize might not have happened at all. Since they were very unhappy with the inventor’s last wish, they decided to challenge his will through the court and divide all the property that he owned among themselves. Fortunately for future scientists and cultural figures, they did not succeed, although after the proceedings each received 2 million crowns.
That's how it is, friends. Let us not forget this glorious man, who passed away not as a merchant of death, but as a worthy man and philanthropist. We wish the Foundation many years of existence, so that not a single outstanding person, including in Russia, in his business is deprived of a prize for success.
All the best to you!
