The Nobel Prize
Laureates by field
Field
Number of recipients
Physics
Chemistry
Physiology or Medicine
Literature
Peace
Economic Sciences
The Nobel Prize is a set of annual international awards bestowed on "those who conferred the greatest benefit on humankind" in the fields of Physics , Chemistry , Physiology or Medicine , Literature , Peace , and Economic Sciences ,[ nb 1] [ 1] instituted by Alfred Nobel 's last will, which specified that a part of his fortune be used to create the prizes. Each laureate (recipient) receives a gold medal, a diploma and a sum of money, which is decided annually by the Nobel Foundation.[ 2] They are widely recognized as one of the most prestigious honours awarded in the aforementioned fields.[ 3]
First instituted in 1901, the Nobel Prize has been awarded to a total of 965 individuals and 27 organizations as of 2023[update] .[ 4]
Among them, 28 Swiss nationals have been honored with the Nobel Prize .[ nb 2] Additionally, two laureates acquired Swiss citizenship through naturalization after the award: Wolfgang Pauli and Jack Steinberger .[ nb 3]
Nine organizations headquartered in Switzerland have received the Nobel Prize for Peace .[ nb 4] The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has been awarded twice, and the International Committee of the Red Cross three times.[ 13] Five of these organizations were also founded in Switzerland, and eight of them had their headquarters in Geneva , a city hosting more than 40 international organizations and 750 non-governmental organizations .[ 14]
The first Nobel Prize for Peace , awarded in 1901, went to the Swiss humanitarian Henry Dunant . The latest Swiss laureates are Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz , who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2019. The 28 prizes are distributed as follows: nine for medicine, seven for chemistry, seven for physics, three for peace, and two for literature. No Swiss national has yet received a Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences .
Switzerland is among the countries with the highest number of Nobel laureates , both in total and per capita.[ 8] [ 15] Several factors have been suggested as possible explanation, including large public funding for research,[ 16] the presence of highly ranked universities such as ETH Zürich and EPFL ,[ 16] and the neutrality of Switzerland in the two World Wars , which attracted scientists from abroad.[ 8] The Nobel Prize has also been often recognized as being biased towards Western countries .[ 17] [ 18] [ 19] According to Nobel laureate Werner Arber , the large number of awards to Swiss nationals is "likely a statistical anomaly", while Richard R. Ernst believes the number of Swiss laureates will keep increasing as the country still attracts talent.[ 8]
Laureates
Individuals who acquired Swiss citizenship after the award
Organizations headquartered in Switzerland who received the Peace Nobel
See also
^ The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences is an additional prize that was established in 1968 by the Bank of Sweden and was first awarded in 1969. Although not technically a Nobel Prize, it is identified with the award and the winners are announced with the Nobel Prize recipients, and the Prize in Economic Sciences is presented at the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony.[ 1]
^ Some lists, such as the one published by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung , count a total of 30 individuals[ 5] including some that acquired the nationality after the award, as well as Hermann Staudinger , a German national who was a Swiss resident.[ 6]
^ Not included in the list is Kofi Annan , Ghanaian diplomat and secretary-general of the United Nations who received the Peace Nobel prize in 2000.[ 7] Annan was granted honorary citizenship from Geneva in 2001;[ 8] however, in Swiss law, a honorary citizenship does not have the same effects of naturalization .[ 9]
^ This is based on the global list of awarded organizations published by the Nobel Prize Outreach.[ 10] Non-comprehensive lists have been published by the Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen ,[ 11] with seven entries, and the Canton of Geneva ,[ 12] featuring the eight Geneva-based organizations who received the award.
^ The Historical Dictionary of Switzerland reports that Theiler was Swiss citizen by birth to a Swiss parent; he later acquired honorary citizenship from Hasle in 1952.[ 39] A SERI report states he held Swiss citizenship at the time of the award.[ 40]
^ Pauli's initial application for Swiss citizenship in 1940 was refused as he was deemed "not assimilable".[ 58]
References
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^ Bauer, David (11 October 2019). "Das sind alle Schweizer Nobelpreisträger" [These are all the Swiss Nobel laureates]. Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 27 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024 .
^ "Staudinger, Hermann" . Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (in German). 7 November 2012. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 2001" . NobelPrize.org . 8 April 1938. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2024 .
^ a b c d e SWI swissinfo.ch (23 July 2009). "Die Schweiz im Nobel-Boom" . SWI swissinfo.ch (in German). Archived from the original on 27 June 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024 .
^ "Bundesgesetz über das Schweizer Bürgerrecht" [Federal Law on Swiss Citizenship] (PDF) . Fedlex (in German). p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2024 .
^ "Nobel Prize awarded organisations" . NobelPrize.org . 14 August 2024. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2024 .
^ "28 Nobelpreise für Schweizer" . Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (in German). 4 October 2017. Archived from the original on 3 July 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024 .
^ "Nobel prizes and International Geneva" . Genève internationale . Archived from the original on 15 April 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024 .
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^ "Facts and figures about International Geneva" . Federal Department of Foreign Affairs . Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2024 .
^ Smith, Oliver (10 December 2018). "The beautiful little islands that have produced the most Nobel prize winners per capita" . The Telegraph . Archived from the original on 20 March 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2024 .
^ a b "Wie viel Geld steckt die Schweiz in die Forschung und Entwicklung?" . Swiss National Science Foundation (in German). 23 September 2021. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2024 .
^ Duggan, Oliver; Spence, Peter (8 October 2014). "How the Nobel Prize has favoured white western men for more than 100 years" . The Telegraph . Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024 .
^ Sample, Ian; Devlin, Hannah (7 October 2019). "What's the point of Nobel prizes?" . The Guardian . Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024 .
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^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1901" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1902" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1902" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1909" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 29 June 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024 .
^ "Werner, Alfred" . Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (in German). 3 October 2013. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1913" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Literature 1919" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Physics 1920" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 4 October 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2024 .
^ "Einstein, Albert" . Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (in German). 22 December 2015. Archived from the original on 7 May 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1937" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2024 .
^ "Ruzicka, Leopold" . Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (in German). 29 May 2012. Archived from the original on 29 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1939" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024 .
^ "Hesse, Hermann" . Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (in German). 13 December 2007. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Literature 1946" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1948" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1949" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 14 June 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024 .
^ Rothschild, Miriam (1999). "Tadeus Reichstein. 20 July 1897 — 1 August 1996: Elected For.Mem.R.S. 1952". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society . 45 : 449–467. doi :10.1098/rsbm.1999.0030 . ISSN 0080-4606 .
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^ "Theiler, Max" . Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (in German). 18 December 2013. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "Higher Education and Research in Switzerland" (PDF) . SERI . p. 16. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 July 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1951" . NobelPrize.org . 11 August 1972. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Physics 1952" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 26 May 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1957" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "Prelog, Vladimir" . Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (in German). 23 January 2015. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1975" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1978" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
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^ "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1991" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "Fischer, Edmond Henri" . Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (in German). 27 January 2022. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1992" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 29 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1996" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2002" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2017" . NobelPrize.org . 8 June 1942. Archived from the original on 14 April 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Prize in Physics 2019" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
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^ "The Nobel Prize in Physics 1945" . NobelPrize.org . 25 April 1900. Archived from the original on 5 May 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "Steinberger, Jack" . Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (in German). 25 October 2021. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2024 .
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^ "Secretariat of the International Peace Bureau" . United Nations Office at Geneva . 14 August 2024. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024 .
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^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1910" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1917" . NobelPrize.org . 26 June 2024. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1938" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1944" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1954" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 23 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1963" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 29 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1963" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 30 April 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1969" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1981" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1999" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 2007" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 2017" . NobelPrize.org . Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 .
Prizes Laureates
Nominees
Organisations Related 1 Nobel Memorial Prize (not one of the original Nobel Prizes).