Nobel Prizes
The Nobel Prize is an international award administered by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. Every year since 1901 the Nobel Prize has been awarded for achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and for peace. The Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel was added in 1968. This page links to the main categories of awards, the history of the prize, details of previous winners and New Zealand Nobel Prize winners.
2011
The Nobel Prizes will be announced over a number of days the week beginning Monday 3th October 2010 at the Nobel Forum, Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm.
- Physiology or Medicine
- Divided, one half jointly to Bruce A. Beutler and Jules A. Hoffmann
for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity
and the other half to Ralph M. Steinmanfor his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity
. - Physics
For the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae
with one half to Saul Perlmutter and the other half jointly to Brian P. Schmidt and Adam G. Riess.- Chemistry
- Dan Shechtman
for the discovery of quasicrystals
. - Literature
- Tomas Tranströmer
because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality
. - Peace
- Awarded jointly to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman
for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work
. - Economics
- awarded jointly to Thomas J. Sargent and Christopher A. Sims
for their empirical research on cause and effect in the macroeconomy
More information can be found on the Nobel Prize website where the announcements will be webcast.
Previous years’ prizes
Search the catalogue
History of the Nobel Prize
- Nobel Prize.org
- Official website of the Nobel Prize. Includes information about all Nobel Prize laureates and educational and historical material. Webcasts of latest awards (made in October each year).
- Alfred Nobel
- Information about Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, who founded the Nobel Prizes. From the Nobel Prize website.
- Nobel Prize
- Information about the Nobel Prize from Wikipedia.
New Zealand Winners
New Zealand claims three Nobel Prize winners:
Ernest Rutherford - 1908 Nobel Prize for Chemistry
Awarded for his work on the transmutation of elements and the chemistry of radioactive substances.
- Ernest Rutherford Biography
- Biography from the Nobel Prize website.
- 1908 Nobel Prize for Chemistry
- Official information about the award, including Rutherford’s Nobel lecture.
- Fact Sheet about Ernest Rutherford
- Information about Rutherford’s life and work. From Christchurch City Libraries.
- Rutherford.org.nz
- Comprehensive website about Rutherford’s life and work, maintained by his biographer, Dr. John Campbell, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury.
- Rutherford’s Den
- Rutherford’s Den at the Arts Centre, Christchurch. Tours show where Lord Rutherford was educated and carried out his earliest scientific research. Information about Rutherford’s life, information for teachers.
Maurice Wilkins - 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine
Awarded for his contribution to the discovery of the structure of DNA.
- Maurice Wilkins Biography
- Biography from the Nobel Prize website.
- 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- Official information about the award, including Wilkins’ Nobel lecture.
- Maurice Wilkins, DNA enabler
- Information about his life and work from the NZedgewebsite.
Not so Serious – the Ig Noble Prizes
The Ig Noble Prizes are awarded every year to scientists whose improbable research projects make people laugh and then think.
See also the Wikipedia entry for the Ig Nobles.
Alan MacDiarmid - 2000 Nobel Prize for Chemistry
Awarded for his contribution to the discovery and development of electronically conductive polymers.
- Alan MacDiarmid Autobiography
- Autobiography from the Nobel Prize website.
- 2000 Nobel Prize for Chemistry
- Official information about the award, autobiographical information about Alan MacDiarmid and his fellow laureates, educational material about their discoveries. From the Nobel Prize website.
