As always, the recipients of this year’s Nobel Prizes are trailblazers in their fields, improving the lives of humans across the globe with their hard work and abundant intelligence.
The esteemed prize is given to those “who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind”.
There are six categories in which one can win an award: physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, peace, and economics.
Here is a comprehensive look at this year’s winners, alongside a summary of the man behind the Nobel Prize.
2023 prize winners
The Nobel Prize in Physics
This year, the Nobel Prize in Physics was given to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, and Anne L’Huillier for “experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter”.
The trio’s findings can help provide images from inside atoms and molecules, which would allow life-changing breakthroughs in a number of fields. In medicine, for example, blood samples could be examined with flashes of light to detect changes and potentially even spot signs of certain cancers.
The win made Anne L’Huillier the fifth-ever woman to win a Nobel Prize in physics.
BREAKING NEWS
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 3, 2023
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the 2023 #NobelPrize in Physics to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier “for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter.” pic.twitter.com/6sPjl1FFzv
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Medicine was taken home by Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman.
The duo were recognised for “their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19”.
Their research at the University of Pennsylvania began back in the late 1990s, with their key findings being published in 2005.
Scientists have shared that their research enabled the development of coronavirus vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna.
BREAKING NEWS
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 2, 2023
The 2023 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/Y62uJDlNMj
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The Nobel Prize for Chemistry was given to Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus, and Alexei Ekimov this year.
The trio discovered and synthesised quantum dots, which are particles so tiny that their properties can only be determined by quantum phenomena.
The scientists believe that the technology they have created can pave the way for developing flexible electronics, minuscule sensors, slimmer solar cells, and encrypted quantum communication.
BREAKING NEWS
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 4, 2023
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the 2023 #NobelPrize in Chemistry to Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus and Alexei I. Ekimov “for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots.” pic.twitter.com/qJCXc72Dj8
The Nobel Prize in Literature
Norweigan author and dramatist John Fosse won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature.
He was recognised for “his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable”.
The 64-year-old creative has written nearly 70 plays, novels, short stories, children’s books, poetry, and essays thus far.
BREAKING NEWS
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 5, 2023
The 2023 #NobelPrize in Literature is awarded to the Norwegian author Jon Fosse “for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable.” pic.twitter.com/dhJgGUawMl
The Nobel Peace Prize
The Iranian rights activist Narges Mohammadi was chosen from 351 nominees to receive the Nobel Peace Prize this year.
Mohammadi is best known for her tireless fight against the oppression of Iranian women and for freedom. She has served multiple prison sentences for her activism over the last two decades.
“Women will not give up. We are fuelled by a will to survive, whether we are inside prison or outside."
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 8, 2023
Imprisoned 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has helped ensure the protests related to Mahsa Jina Amini's killing have not ebbed.#NobelPeacePrize pic.twitter.com/MOCoA5oiWj
The Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences
The American economic historian Claudia Goldin has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for “having advanced our understanding of women’s labour market outcomes”.
Her work on women’s employment and pay revealed the key factors behind the gender pay gap and made her the third-ever woman to be given the Nobel accolade.
The 77-year-old professor currently teaches labour market history at Harvard University.
This year’s economic sciences laureate Claudia Goldin (@PikaGoldin) was born in 1946 in New York, NY, USA.
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 9, 2023
She is a professor at @Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.https://t.co/lEbZNTZthz pic.twitter.com/lRyYPfaLoK
Who created the Nobel Prize?
The Novel Prize was created by Alfred Nobel, who left a will in 1895 asking for those who “have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind” in the past year to be given an award in his name.
Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, and industrialist, who made a name for himself as the inventor of dynamite.
He left all his wealth to what we now know as the Nobel Prizes.
The very first set of Nobel awards were given out in 1901, and in 1968 Sweden’s Central Bank, Sveriges Riksbank, funded the establishment of a sixth award to be added to the roster: the Prize in Economic Sciences.
The Nobel Prizes remain the most prestigious awards available in their respective fields.
