What is the Nobel Prize and to whom is it given? Nobel Prize how much money they give How much is the Nobel Prize in rubles.

What is a Nobel Prize? You 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 personalities awarded? Who makes the final decision on awarding a prize to a particular candidate? Exhaustive answers to these questions are contained in the article. It also lists the names of historical figures and writers who were once nominated for the Nobel Prize (Russian and foreign).

Who is Nobel?

Until 1901, no one knew what the Nobel Prize was. Because it simply didn't exist. The award was organized a few years after the death of Alfred Nobel. What preceded this event?

The Swedish engineer, chemist and inventor was born in 1833, the son of an impoverished descendant of the scientist Olof Rudbek. From 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. The Nobel 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, the parents were able to give their inquisitive son a good education. In Europe, Nobel intensively studied chemistry. He was especially interested explosives- the field of science, research in which led Nobel in 1863 to the invention of dynamite. Four years later, the scientist received a corresponding patent, which later allowed him to become one of the richest people peace.

Without going into details of the famous Swede's professional activities, let's move on to the final part of his biography. It is she who will bring us closer to obtaining a detailed answer to the question of what the Nobel Prize is.

Death merchant

Scientists tend to be fanatical about 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 "Blood Millionaire". The restless researcher under the offensive nickname would have been remembered by the descendants, if not for one case.

One beautiful spring morning (although it may have happened in the winter frost or autumn bad weather), the world-famous scientist woke up in his Stockholm apartment and, as usual, fondly remembered the passion of his life - dynamite. In a good mood, Nobel went into 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, in compiling an obituary, confused the creator of dynamite with his own brother. Nobel was not upset about the death of a 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 red word - "merchant of death."

Nobel Foundation

In order to change the course of events and not remain in the memory of posterity as a Millionaire on the Blood or the Dynamite King, Alfred Nobel immediately sat down to draw up a will.

So, the document is ready. What does he say? After the death of Nobel, all his property must be sold, the proceeds are placed in an account in a reliable bank. The resulting profit goes to the newly established fund, which, in turn, annually distributes it according to a strict scheme, dividing it into five equal parts. Each of them constitutes a monetary award 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 relatives of the millionaire were furious when they learned about the will, and for a long time they tried to challenge its authenticity. But that's a completely different story.

Candidate Selection Rules

A physicist, chemist, scientist who made a discovery in the field of medicine or physiology, the author of an outstanding literary work can become a Nobel Prize winner.

A public figure who has made a significant contribution to the abolition of slavery and the rallying of nations is entitled to the Nobel Peace Prize. The committee named after the scientist is responsible for it. Other awards are approved by the following organizations:

Karolinska Institute (medicine or physiology award).
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 announcement of the committee, before he lived to see the presentation ceremony, it is reserved for him. But what if there is no worthy candidate from one area or another? In this case, the award is not awarded, and the funds are kept until the next year.

The amount of the cash prize

The amount is different every year. After all, the profit from transactions, from which premiums are paid, cannot be fixed. So, in 2016, it amounted to $1.1 million. And in 2007 - 1.56 million dollars. In addition, a few years ago, the fund decided to reduce the premium to 20% in order to prevent the organization's capital from decreasing in the future.

It is worth saying that the nomination for the 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. The names of the nominees are kept secret for 50 years.

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 disclosed within the framework of one article. Therefore, let's move on to the most interesting part of our story, namely, the names of the laureates of the most prestigious award. Since their list is very extensive, we will name the most famous personalities, and above 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 the bright, eternal to the readers. It is received by humanists, idealists, fighters for justice and those who have made a significant contribution to the development of literature. In total, 107 prizes were awarded (by 2017). In 1904, 1917, 1966 and 1974, the members of the committee could not find a worthy candidate.

So, Ivan Bunin in 1933 was awarded the prize for the skill that contributes to the development of classical Russian prose. Boris Pasternak after a quarter of a century - 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 of them read it. After all, the book was for a long time banned in the USSR.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn was awarded the prize thanks to his high moral strength and following the traditions of the Russian epic novel. He didn't show up for the ceremony. Not because I was busy, but because they didn't let me in. Belarusian writer Svetlana Aleksievich is the last Russian-speaking Nobel Prize winner. 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 maybe chemistry? No. Andrei Sakharov is a laureate of the Peace Prize. 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. These once included Leo Tolstoy, Erich Maria Remarque, which is not surprising. Tolstoy is a great humanist. Remarque in his books actively criticized the fascist dictatorship. But some of the names of the Nobel Peace Prize nominees that have become famous are really puzzling. Hitler and Mussolini. The first was nominated in 1939, the second four years earlier. Lenin could also become a nominee for the Peace Prize. However, the First World War intervened.

Initially, the Nobel Prize was the annual profit of the Alfred Nobel Foundation, which was distributed among the laureates in five areas. Consequently, each year the size of the Nobel Prize was different.

Now no one can say for sure how much the possessions of Alfred Nobel himself were valued, since family assets were closely mixed in various investments in different countries peace. After 5 years of work on the establishment of the Nobel Foundation, its volume was estimated at 31,587,202 SEK.

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 kroons were spent on just 5 nominations for awards, 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 the change in the purchasing power of the Swedish krona. However, the Nobel Committee gives indicative figures. Thus, 150,782 kroons, awarded in 1901, at the rate of 2011 correspond to 8,123,951 kroons, 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 investments of the Alfred Nobel fund, but it is impossible to say for sure, because the fund began to publish financial statements only in 1975, after being exempted from taxes.

And the Swedish krona itself was valued differently in different years. It is believed that the most unfortunate year for Nobel laureates was 1919. This year the amount of the prize amounted to 133,127 kroons, 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 valued at 2,254,284 kroner today. The fattest year for the Nobel Prize was 2001. Marking the beginning of the new millennium, the members of the Nobel Committee decided to make the amount of payments fixed. And since 2001, the size of the Nobel Prize has been 10 million Swedish kronor. However, no one canceled the inflation of the Swedish krona. Therefore, it was most profitable in terms of money to receive the Nobel Prize in 2001.

It is impossible to say exactly how much money the Nobel Foundation manages today. According to 2007 estimates, this is 3.62 billion kroons. At the same time, the rules for distributing amounts between the laureates have also changed. Since the Nobel Foundation regularly receives donations, since 1980 the amounts have been decoupled from the foundation's actual profits and, for convenience, have been 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, by the end it reached 9 million. And from 2001 to this day, the amount of the award is exactly 10 million Swedish kronor. It is possible that the amounts will be adjusted again in the future. If not, then every year it will become less and less profitable to receive the Nobel Prize.

Alfred Nobel

In 1888, Alfred Nobel read his own obituary in a French newspaper entitled "Death Merchant Is Dead", published by reporters' mistake. The article made Nobel think about how humanity will remember him. After that, he decided to change his will. On December 10, 1896, Alfred Nobel died at his villa in Sanremo, Italy, from a cerebral hemorrhage.

The testament of Alfred Nobel, drawn up by him on November 27, 1895, was announced in January 1897:

Nobel's testament

“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. 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 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 ... "

This will was initially greeted with skepticism. Only on April 26, 1897 was it approved by the Storting of Norway. The executors of Nobel's will, secretary Ragnar Sulman and lawyer Rudolf Lilekvist, organized the Nobel Foundation to take care of the execution of his will and organize the presentation of prizes.

According to Nobel's instructions, the Norwegian Nobel Committee, whose members were appointed in April 1897 shortly after the will went into effect, became responsible for awarding the Peace Prize. After some time, the organizations presenting the rest of the awards were determined. June 7 became responsible for the presentation of the prize in the field of physiology and medicine; On June 9, the Swedish Academy was granted the right to present the Literature Prize; June 11 The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is recognized as responsible for awarding the prizes in physics and chemistry. On June 29, 1900, the Nobel Foundation was founded for the purpose of managing finances and organizing the Nobel Prizes. Agreements were reached in the Nobel Foundation on the basic principles for awarding the prizes, and in 1900 the foundation's newly created charter was adopted by King Oscar II. In 1905, the Swedish-Norwegian Union was dissolved. From now on, the Norwegian Nobel Committee is responsible for awarding the Nobel Peace Prize, while the Swedish organizations are responsible for the rest of the prizes.

Prize Rules

The main document regulating the rules for awarding the prize is the statute of the Nobel Foundation.

The Prize can only be awarded to individuals and not to institutions (other than Peace Prizes). The Peace Prize can be awarded both to individuals and to official and public organizations.

According to § 4 of the statute, one or two works can be promoted at the same time, but the total number of awardees should not exceed three. Although this rule was introduced only in 1968, it has always been de facto observed. At the same time, the monetary reward is divided among the laureates as follows: the prize is first divided equally between the works, and then equally between 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)

It also states in § 4 that the prize cannot be awarded posthumously. However, if the applicant was alive at the time of the announcement of the award (usually in October), but died before the award ceremony (December 10 current year), then the premium is retained. This rule was adopted in 1974 and the prize has been awarded posthumously twice before: to Erik Karlfeldt in 1931 and to Dag Hammarskjöld in 1961. However, in 2011, the rule was broken when, by decision of the Nobel Committee, Ralph Steinman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine posthumously, because at the time of the award, the Nobel Committee considered him alive.

According to § 5 of the statute, the prize may not be awarded to anyone at all if the members of the relevant committee have not found worthy works among those put forward for competition. In this case, the prize funds are kept until the next year. If the next year the prize was not awarded, the funds are transferred to the closed reserve of the Nobel Foundation.

Nobel Prizes

Nobel's will provided for the allocation of funds for awards to representatives of only five areas:

Physics (awarded with, in Sweden);
Chemistry (awarded with, in Sweden);
Physiology and Medicine (awarded with, in Sweden);
Literature (awarded with, in Sweden);
Promoting World Peace (awarded from , in Norway).

In addition, apart from Nobel's testament, since 1969, on the initiative of the Swedish Bank, a prize in his name in economics has also been awarded. 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.

The laureate is required to deliver the so-called "Nobel Memorial Lecture", which is then published by the Nobel Foundation in a special volume.

Number of Nobel laureates from various countries

The size of the Nobel Prize

Award procedure

Award presentation

The awarding procedure is preceded by a lot of work that is being done all year round numerous organizations around the world. In October, the laureates are already finally approved and announced. The final selection of laureates is carried out by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Nobel Assembly of the Karolinska Institute and the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The awarding procedure takes place annually, on December 10, in the capitals of two countries - Sweden and Norway. In Stockholm, prizes in physics, chemistry, physiology and medicine, literature and economics are awarded by the King of Sweden, and in the field of peace - by the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee - in Oslo, in the city hall, in the presence of the King of Norway and members 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 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. Handmade dishes: along the edge of the plate there is a strip of three colors of the 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 wooden box 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.

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.

Nobel concert

Nobel concert- one of the three components of the Nobel week along with the awarding of prizes and the Nobel dinner. It is considered one of the main 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 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.

Nobel Prize Equivalents

Many areas of science remained "uncovered" by the Nobel Prize. Due to the fame and prestige of the Nobel Prizes, the most prestigious awards in other fields are often referred to informally as "Nobel Prizes".

Mathematics and Computer Science

Initially, Nobel included mathematics in the list of sciences for which the prize is awarded, but later crossed it out, replacing it with the Peace Prize. The exact reason is unknown. There are many legends associated with this fact, poorly supported by facts. Most often this is associated with the name of the Swedish mathematician, the leader of the Swedish mathematics of that time Mittag-Leffler, whom Nobel disliked for some reason. Among these reasons, either the courtship of the mathematician for the bride of Nobel, or the fact that he importunately asked for donations to Stockholm University, is called. Being one of the most prominent mathematicians in Sweden at that time, Mittag-Leffler was also the main contender for this very prize.

Another version: Nobel had a lover, Anna Desri, who later fell in love with Franz Lemarge and married him. Franz was the son of a diplomat and at that time was going to become a mathematician.

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. Thus, stories of brides gone and mathematicians screwing up should be interpreted as legends or anecdotes.

The "equivalents" of the Nobel Prize in mathematics are the Fields Prize and the Abel Prize, in computer science the Turing Prize.

Economy

Unofficially, this is the name of the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economics in memory of Alfred Nobel. The award was established by the Bank of Sweden in 1969. Unlike other prizes awarded at the Nobel Prize Ceremony, funds for this prize are not allocated from the legacy of Alfred Nobel. Therefore, the question of whether to consider this prize "true Nobel" is debatable. The winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics is announced on October 12; The awards ceremony takes place in Stockholm on 10 December each year.

Art

Each year, His Imperial Highness Prince Hitachi, honorary patron of the Japan Arts Association, presents five "Imperial Prize (Praemium Imperiale)" awards, which he says fill a gap in Nobel Committee nominations - specially designed medals, diplomas, and cash prizes in the five fields of art : painting, sculpture, architecture, music, theater/cinema. The reward is 15 million yen, which is equal to 195 thousand dollars.

Criticism of the award

Actual non-compliance with the will

According to Nobel's will, the prize should be awarded for discoveries, inventions and achievements made in the year of the award. This provision is de facto not respected.

Natural Science Prizes

A number of scientists die before their discoveries or inventions pass the "test of time" necessary for awarding the prize. There is also a tendency to award prizes to representatives of the same scientific schools.

Humanitarian awards

Compliance of the laureates of the prize in literature with the official criteria for its award raised questions as early as the beginning of the 20th century [ clarify] .

Multiple awards

Prizes (other than peace prizes) can only be awarded once, but there have been a few exceptions to this rule in the history of the award. Only four people were honored nobel 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.
Frederik Senger, two prizes in chemistry, in 1958 and 1980.

Organizations

The International Committee of the Red Cross was awarded the Peace Prize three times, in 1917, 1944 and 1963.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has received the Peace Prize twice, in 1954 and 1981.

Nobel Prize in Art

Ig Nobel Prize

Ig Nobel Prizes, Ignobel Prize, Antinobel Prize(English) Ig Nobel Prize) is a parody of the Nobel Prize. Ten Shnobel Prizes are awarded in early October, that is, at the time when the winners of the real Nobel Prize are named, for achievements that first cause laughter, and then make you think ( first make people laugh, and then make them think). The award was established by Mark Abrahams and the humor magazine Annals of Incredible Research.

Notes

Levinovitz, Agneta Wallin. - 2001. - P. 5.
Levinovitz, Agneta Wallin. - 2001. - P. 11.
Golden, Frederick. The Worst And The Brightest," Time magazine, Time Warner(October 16, 2000). Retrieved April 9, 2010.
Sohlman, Ragnar. - 1983. - P. 13.
Compuart magazine. Calendar of significant dates. Nikolai Dubina
From dynamite to Viagra. Kommersant. Archived from the original on August 9, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
Levinovitz, Agneta Wallin. - 2001. - P. 13–25.
Abrams, Irwin. - 2001. - P. 7–8.
Crawford, Elizabeth T.. - 1984. - P. 1.
Levinovitz, Agneta Wallin. - 2001. - P. 14.
AFP Alfred Nobel's last will and testament. The Local(October 5, 2009). Archived from the original on August 9, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
Statutes of the Nobel Foundation. Nobel Foundation. Archived
What the Nobel Laureates Receive. Nobel Foundation. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
Nomination FAQ. Nobel Foundation. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
Canadian scientist to win posthumous Nobel Prize Lenta.ru(October 3, 2011). Retrieved April 5, 2012.
The monetary equivalent of the Nobel Prize. reference
Dynamics of the cross-rate of the Swedish krona against the US dollar. reference
[ITAR-TASS June 12, 2012. The size of the Nobel Prize has decreased… http://www.itar-tass.com/c17/444471.html]
Culinary Encyclopedia KM

December 10, the day of death Alfred 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 amount of the monetary component of the award this year, as in the previous three years, reaches 8 million kroons (about 59 million rubles).

Who is up for the award this year?

Until the last moment, the Nobel committees do not report anything about the applicants for the prize themselves, or about those who nominated them, and experts are trying to make assumptions about the names kept secret.

Each year, Thomson Reuters attempts to predict who will win awards based on the citation rankings of researchers.

- Physics

In the field of physics, an award can be given for the experimental detection of gravitational waves. Among the main contenders for the prize are three physicists: Rainer Weiss, professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ronald Drever, Scottish physicist, specialist in the field of lasers, and Kip Thorne, physicist and astronomer, world-renowned expert in the field general theory relativity.

According to the Thomson Reuters citation count, two more teams of scientists claiming the Nobel Prize in Physics are named. So, a possible candidate named professor 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 contributions to the theory of control of chaotic systems. The OGY method developed by them has found wide application in studying the behavior of chaotic systems in mechanics, laser physics, radiophysics, chemistry, biology, and medicine.

Eligible for the Chemistry Prize George Church and Feng Jang who managed to edit the genomes of mice and humans using a system responsible for the production of acquired immunity in bacteria. It turned out to be possible to use the system for editing the genes of animals and humans, in particular, for removing HIV from infected T-lymphocytes.

In addition to them, the reward can count Dennis Lo, who developed a way to detect fetal extracellular DNA in maternal plasma, which would 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 Lazier for his work in the field of workforce economics, which concerns the development of new models of employee motivation, career development and labor productivity, as well as Olivier Blanchard for contributions to macroeconomics and the study of factors that determine economic instability and employment.

Named third candidate Mark Melitz for his research on the heterogeneity (heterogeneity) of firms in international trade.

- Peace Prize

Eligible for the Peace Prize former US intelligence agent Edward Snowden and Pope Francis.

How many people have received the Nobel Prize since its inception?

Since 1901, 881 individuals and 23 organizations have received the award. It was not awarded during the First and Second World Wars. The United States is the leader in terms of the number of laureates (359 people), the UK is in second place (121 people), and Germany is in third place (104 people). Russia has 27 laureates.

Voluntarily waived French award writer Jean-Paul Sartre and Vietnamese Le Duc Tho politician. Forcibly, three did not receive it. Adolf Gitler banned chemist Richard Kuhn, biochemist Adolf Butenandt and bacteriologist Gerhard Domagk accept the award, and the Soviet writer Boris Pasternak at first he agreed to accept the award, but then, under pressure from the authorities, he refused.

The Nobel Prize is the most prestigious and most famous prize in the world. It has been presented annually in Stockholm and Oslo since 1901 and has gathered a lot of unusual facts around it during this time.

1. THE AWARD WAS BORN TO TAKE EYES FROM NOBEL'S DISCOVERIES

The creator of the award, Alfred Nobel, was an avid pacifist, which did not stop him from making an impressive capital in the arms trade and the invention of dynamite. He believed that the very presence of dangerous weapons should intimidate the enemy, preventing wars, terrorist attacks and bloodshed. The insight was painful. When the papers ahead of schedule buried Alfred Nobel, confusing him with his brother Ludwig, who died in St. Petersburg, he was greatly surprised by the morning headlines: "Death Seller", "Bloody Rich Man", "Dynamite King". In order not to go down in history as a blood millionaire, Alfred Nobel immediately called a lawyer and rewrote the will, which stated that after death all the multi-million dollar property should be placed in a reliable bank and entrusted to a fund that would divide investment income into five equal parts and hand them over annually in the form of a bonus . The idea was a success: now few people remember who invented dynamite, but even a child knows about the Nobel Prize.

2. ECONOMY WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE LIST OF PRIZES

Initially, the prize was awarded in five categories: chemistry, physics, medicine, literature and peacekeeping achievements. Later, in 1969, the Swedish Bank added an economics prize to this list. Since the field of economics was not listed in the will, it is handed over not from the Nobel fund, but from the fund of the Swedish Bank, but at the Nobel Prize ceremony. The descendants of Nobel do not support the addition of the economic area to the prize. “First of all,” they say, “this is how the whole meaning of the award collapses. If it is named after Nobel, then it should be awarded only in those areas that Nobel himself listed in his will. Secondly, Nobel simply did not like economists and ignored them in his will not by chance.”

3. PREMIUM FALLS IN PRICE

In terms of the current exchange rate, when the Nobel's movable and immovable property was converted into cash equivalent, the fund received about 250 million dollars. Part of the capital was immediately invested in securities, and prizes were awarded to the laureates from the profits. The fund is currently worth $3 billion. Despite the growth of the capital of the Nobel Prize Fund, in 2012 it was decided to cut it by 20% (from 1.4 million to 1.1 million dollars). Such a move, according to the directors of the fund, will help create a reliable financial cushion and ensure a high monetary level of the premium for many years to come.

4. UNUSUAL WINNERS AND NOMINATES

The award was very rarely given to anyone a second time. For all the years of its existence, this happened only 4 times. Federick Segner received both Prizes in Chemistry, John Bardeen in Physics, Linus Pauling in Chemistry and the Peace Prize. Marie Skłodowska-Curie was the only woman to win two Nobel Prizes.

Maria Sklodowska-Curie

Stanley Williams, leader of the Crips crime group, was nominated for the Nobel Prize 9 times: as a writer and as a humanist. Initially, the Crips group opposed police lawlessness on the streets of Los Angeles, but when it grew, it turned out to have several police deaths and, for some reason, a bank robbery. Stanley Williams was arrested and sentenced to death penalty. The books that Stanley wrote while incarcerated became bestsellers, and he even won the US President's Award. This still did not soften the hearts of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and in 2005 the leader of the Crips gang was executed.

5. PRIZE FOR MATH

Many people know that the Nobel Prize is not awarded in the field of mathematics. Also, many are sure that the reason for this is Nobel's beloved, who went to mathematics. Indeed, in the will, mathematics was originally included in the list of areas in which the prize is awarded, but later crossed out by Nobel himself. In fact, there is no evidence of a romantic story related to the refusal of the Nobel to give the prize to mathematicians. More likely is the fact that the main contender for the prize in mathematics before the death of Nobel was Mittag-Leffler, whom the founder of the prize had long disliked for importunately soliciting donations for Stockholm University. Deciding to be true to himself and not give Mittag-Leffler any money, Nobel crossed mathematics off the list and replaced it with the Peace Prize.

6. BANQUET AFTER THE AWARDS

The banquet is held immediately after the awards ceremony in the Blue Hall of the Stockholm City Hall. The chefs of the restaurant at the town hall and the best culinary specialists, who were awarded the title of “Chef of the Year” in the year of the award, are involved in the preparation of the gala dinner. Three months before the banquet, members of the Nobel Committee taste three varieties of the menu and decide which one is worthy of serving the guests at the banquet. For dessert, ice cream is traditionally served, but its variety is kept in the strictest confidence until the very evening of the ceremony.

The hall is decorated with more than 20,000 flowers from San Remo, and the movements of the waiters are rehearsed to the nearest second. Exactly at 7 pm, guests of honor, led by monarchs, descend into the Blue Hall. The Swedish king leads a Nobel laureate by the arm, and if there is none, then the wife of a physics laureate.

The banquet service has its own unique design: it is made in three colors of the Swedish Empire: blue, green and gold and consists of 6750 glasses, 9450 knives and forks, 9550 plates and one tea cup for Princess Liliana, who did not drink coffee. After the death of the princess, the cup began to be kept in a special mahogany box with the princess's monogram. The saucer from the cup was stolen not so long ago.

7. NOBEL IN SPACE

Most often, the name of Alfred Nobel is immortalized by astronauts. In 1970, the International Astronomical Union named a crater on the Moon after Alfred Nobel, though on its dark side. And in 1983, asteroid number 6032 was named after him.

8. WHEN PRIZES ARE NOT AWARDED

If there are no worthy candidates for an award in any of the areas, it is simply not awarded. This has happened five times with the Medicine Prize, four times with the Physics Prize, and most of all with the Peace Prize. According to the rules that were adopted in 1974, the prize can only be awarded during the life of the laureate. The rule has only been broken once, in 2011, when medical award winner Ralph Steiman died of cancer two hours before the ceremony.

9. CASH EQUIVALENT OF THE PRIZE AND STRANGE WAYS TO SPEND IT

The cash equivalent of the premium is floating, but usually amounts to more than a million US dollars. Not every scientist spends such a sum on the development of his scientific research. Ivan Bunin, with all the scope of the Russian soul, spent money on parties. The poet Rene Francois Armand Sully-Prudhomme organized his own prize, which was not as successful as the Nobel, but lasted six years and was awarded to masters of poetry. Hungarian writer Irme Kertes gave his prize to his wife, thus appreciating her heroic loyalty to him in hardship and poverty. “Let her buy herself dresses and jewelry,” the writer commented on her decision, “she deserved it.”

Paul Greengard, who explored the interconnection between nerve cells that later led to the creation of antidepressants, used the award money to create his own Pearl Meister Greengard award. It is often presented as an analogue of the Nobel Prize for women, because in the scientific world, according to Greenard, there is a huge discrimination against women. The scientist dedicated the award to his mother, who died during childbirth.

10. PEACE PRIZE

The most controversial and politically charged of the six areas in which the prize is awarded is the Peace Prize. At different times, such unconditional villains as Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin were nominated for the award.

Last year, 2014, Vladimir Putin was nominated for it. Seventeen-year-old Malala Yusufai from Pakistan, who took away the victory from Putin, became the youngest Nobel Prize winner. Her struggle for the education of girls in Islamic countries has led to worldwide recognition and a prestigious award. Radical Islamic groups declared jihad (holy war) to the girl and immediately after the award was given, they tried to kill her, but Malala survived and continues to fight for women's rights to education.

Unlike all other areas, the Peace Prize is not awarded in Stockholm, but in Oslo.