Might be useful to have at least a general understanding of how the Nobel Prize award process works, especially in Medicine. That way, when the Medicine Award is given out someday to the discoverer(s) of the cure for cancer, we'll already have a good idea as to how the award-and-ceremony will take place! But first, there is this about
Alfred Nobel, from his Wikipedia article:
"There is a well known story about the origin of the Nobel Prize, although historians have been unable to verify it and some dismiss the story as a myth. In 1888, the death of his brother Ludvig supposedly caused several newspapers to publish obituaries of Alfred in error. One French newspaper condemned him for his invention of military explosives—in many versions of the story, dynamite is quoted, although this was mainly used for civilian applications—and this is said to have brought about his decision to leave a better legacy after his death. The obituary stated, "Le marchand de la morte est mort" ("The merchant of death is dead"), and went on to say, "Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday." Nobel read the obituary and was appalled at the idea that he would be remembered in this way. His decision to posthumously donate the majority of his wealth to found the Nobel Prize has been credited to him wanting to leave behind a better legacy. However, it has been questioned whether or not the obituary in question actually existed."Now to the prize itself. The link below is to
"Nomination and selection of medicine laureates"
from
https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/medicine/ It's a descript
ion of the official rules and process for determining the annual winner(s) of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (its official name).
General rules and process:
"The Nobel Committee sends confidential invitation letters to persons who are competent and qualified to nominate candidates for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine."
Nominations can come from:
1. Members of the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm. (The Nobel Assembly has 50 members. The Nobel Committee is the working body that reviews the nominations and selects the candidates. It consists of five members and the Secretary of the Nobel Committee and Nobel Assembly).
2. Swedish and foreign members of the Medicine and Biology classes of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
3. Past Nobel Prize laureates in physiology or medicine and chemistry.
4. Members of the Nobel Committee not qualified under paragraph 1 above. Holders of established posts as full professors at the faculties of medicine in Sweden and holders of similar posts at the faculties of medicine or similar institutions in Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway.
6. Holders of similar posts at no fewer than six other faculties of medicine at universities around the world, selected by the Nobel Assembly, with a view to ensuring the appropriate distribution of the task among various countries.
7. Scientists whom the Nobel Assembly may otherwise see fit to approach.
8. No self-nominations are considered.
"The Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine is awarded for discovery of major importance in life science or medicine. Discoveries that have changed the scientific paradigm and are of great benefit for humankind are awarded the prize, whereas lifetime achievements or scientific leadership cannot be considered for the Nobel Prize."Incidentally, some interesting facts about
the Nobel Prize that I learned while preparing this thread:
1. How many people can share the same Nobel Prize?
"A Nobel Prize can be shared by up to three individuals, or in the case of the peace prize, it can also be awarded to an organisation. The rule that a prize can only be awarded to three people comes from the statutes of the Nobel Foundation, which is responsible for fulfilling the intentions of Nobel’s will. It specifically states: “In no case may a prize amount be divided between more than three persons.”
2. Why isn’t there a Nobel Prize in mathematics, engineering, biology or environmental science?
"The Nobel Prizes were designated in the will of Alfred Nobel and are in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace. The economics prize was established much later and is a memorial prize, as indicated by its full name: the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. Its addition was an exception, to celebrate the tercentenary of Sweden’s central bank in 1968."
3. Where does the prize money come from?
"When Alfred Nobel died leaving the majority of his fortune to the establishment of the Nobel Prize he stated that the money should be converted into a fund and invested in “safe securities.” Today the interest earned on that money is used to fund the Nobel Prizes."
4. Is it possible to revoke a Nobel Prize?
"No. Neither Alfred Nobel’s will nor the statutes of the Nobel Foundation mention any such possibility."
5. Can they award a prize posthumously?
"No. A Nobel Prize cannot be awarded posthumously."Above facts from
https://www.nobelprize.org/frequently-asked-questions/#revoke which also mentions other interesting facts about
the prizes.
Award process annual timeline:
September – Invitations to nominate sent out. Typically over 3000 personal and confidential invitations sent out to qualified nominators.
February – Deadline for submission of nominations.
March-May – Evaluation reports. The Nobel Committee invites international reputable experts to prepare evaluation reports.
June-August – Evaluation work is in progress. Reports submitted by middle of August.
September – The Nobel Committee submits recommendations on presumable candidates for discussion in the Nobel Assembly.
October – The Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine is decided. The Nobel Assembly chooses the Nobel Prize laureates in physiology or medicine through a majority vote on the first Monday in October. The decision is final and without appeal. The Nobel Prize laureates are informed immediately afterwards and the decision is then announced at a press conference.
December – The Nobel Prize award ceremony. The Nobel Prize award ceremony takes place on the 10th of December (when Nobel died) in Stockholm, where the Nobel Prize laureates receive the Nobel Prize medal, diploma and the prize amount.More of interest, from first link above:
"The statutes of the Nobel Foundation restrict disclosure of information about the nominations and selecting process for 50 years."Following this statement on the above site is a link to
Search the nomination archivewhich when accessed offers a wealth of search-and-retrieve possibilities for names of past nominees, as well as nomination and award totals by country, university, and other access points.
There is also a link to the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, the " ... prize awarder for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine."
Also provided are links to related websites giving award information, similar to the above, for the other Nobel Prize award categories (physics, chemistry, literature, peace, economics).
So, a quick look at the rules and process of awarding the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Finally, for a humorous touch, this from a website:
"When John Bardeen co-won the Physics Nobel in 1956 for helping develop a theory of superconductivity commonly known as the BCS theory (after its inventors’ initials), he left most of his family at home rather than bringing them along for the awards ceremony. “His son told me that his father wanted them all to stay in school and study for whatever tests they had,” explains Scientific American video editor, Eliene Augenbraun. “He was loath to take time off work himself.” The king of Sweden noted the absence at the ceremony and scolded Bardeen. The laureate promised he'd bring them "the next time." Then, in 1972 Bardeen indeed won a second Nobel (making him the third person in the history of the prize to win twice). That time, he made sure to bring his entire family." Okay, maybe the above is a bit more than we really needed to learn about
the Nobel Prize in Medicine, but when the award for finding the cancer cure is given out someday, perhaps knowing the above will enable us to appreciate it even more!