The first Nobel Prize ceremony, which honored the discovery of X-rays and the cofounder of the Red Cross, occurred five years after Alfred Nobel's death.

Since 1901, the Nobel Prizes have honored major global achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace efforts.

Marie Curie's research on radioactivity made her the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win awards in two sciences.

The Nobel Prizes are among the highest science honors, though they have long been criticized for their limited scope and representation of disciplines and minorities.

As of 2025, only five people have won two Nobel Prizes, with Marie Curie the only person to do so in two different sciences.

Penicillin's pioneers were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1945

After the dynamite he invented to make handling explosives safer was instead used for warfare, Alfred Nobel reshaped his legacy by establishing the Nobel Prizes.

Of the 736 Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, and economics awarded through 2023, more than 95% went to the same academic family.

In 2011, the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine was awarded to a deceased scientist, which is forbidden under the Nobel Foundation's rules.

Explore the full list of Nobel laureates, which spans about 1,000 individuals, and their accomplishments.

Read more about the backstory on the 2025 Nobel Prize for immune system work

Nominations for each Nobel Prize in science are submitted by an invitation-only group of thousands of people, which includes leading academics and former Nobel laureates.

Robert Koch won the Nobel for his tuberculosis work, but he also pioneered cholera research

With rules established when scientists worked in small labs or in isolation, the Nobel Prizes have struggled to reflect the collaborative nature of modern research.

The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences was not among the prizes in Alfred Nobel's will but was established by Sweden's central bank in 1968.

Rosalind Franklin’s work led to Nobel Prize-winning discoveries in DNA and virology

The disputed inventor of the radio

Marie Curie pioneered radioactivity research, for which she won two Nobel Prizes

Various awards have been established to honor contributions in science, technology, and mathematics beyond the disciplines honored by the Nobel Prizes.

As of 2026, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which advises the pope on scientific matters, has included 90 Nobel laureates among its members.

Marie Curie's daughter Irene discovered artificial radioactivity

By measuring them in hot-air balloons during a partial solar eclipse and at night, Victor Hess discovered cosmic rays and concluded they came from beyond the solar system.

For his 1922 Nobel Prize in physics, Niels Bohr was awarded a lifetime of free beer by Denmark's Carlsberg Brewery.

Hundreds of individuals are nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize each year, and nominees have included controversial figures like Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler.

The Ig Nobel Prize—a satirical version of the Nobel Prize—aims to engage broader audiences by spotlighting scientific achievements that make people laugh before they think.

The discovery of insulin led to a controversial Nobel Prize in 1923

During his 'miraculous year,' Albert Einstein published four groundbreaking papers, including the postulates of special relativity.

A French Army surgeon discovered that malaria is a parasitic disease in 1880—but scientists were initially skeptical.

The Nobel Peace Prize has been criticized for sometimes honoring individuals who embody certain ideals, rather than those with recognizable achievements.

The discovery of nuclear fission was facilitated by the discovery of the neutron

The discovery of neutron stars by Jocelyn Bell Burnell, who was not awarded the corresponding Nobel Prize

Explore a list of Nobel Prize winners supported by National Science Foundation grants.

The 2018 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded for applications in laser physics, including the creation of light-based tweezers.

The 2017 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to LIGO's founders

Watch writer John Steinbeck's Nobel Prize acceptance speech.

Known for his theories of relativity, Albert Einstein's Nobel Prize in physics was for his discovery of the photoelectric effect, which makes digital cameras possible.

Nobel Prizes in science have favored male, North American, and European scientists from established academic institutions, with only 11 female winners in the 20th century.

In 1936, Eugene O'Neill became the only American playwright to win the Nobel Prize in literature.

Camus won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1957 for his philosophical essays and fiction

Nicknamed the 'dark lady of DNA,' Rosalind Franklin was the long-overlooked contributor to discovering the molecule's structure.

The Pius XI Medal—named after the pope who rebranded the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in 1936—has been awarded every two years to a promising scientist under 45.

How scientists earned themselves a Nobel Prize by discovering what destroyed ozone

Light therapy was widely used as a medical treatment for various maladies in the late 1800s before it was replaced by antibiotics.

Some Nobel laureates have expressed beliefs in pseudoscience after winning

Marie Curie developed and trained women to operate mobile X-ray units in World War I

How Nobel Prize-winning research unraveled why the immune system doesn't always attack itself

In 2016, Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize in Literature for his lyrics, marking the first time a rock songwriter had won the award.

Pierre Curie's knowledge of electromagnetism helped decipher radioactivity

Guglielmo Marconi overshadowed Nikola Tesla through commercialization

Oxford scientists turned Fleming’s mold discovery into medicine

The Curies were buried in lead-lined coffins to contain their radioactive bodies