he latest Nobel Prize season started with the announcement of winners in October 2025 and culminated with the award giving ceremony held on December 10. A total of 14 laureates from across six categories were announced as winners of the 2025 Nobel Prizes.

Nobel Prize is one of the most prestigious awards, recognising outstanding contributions from recipients around the world in specific categories including: physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, peace and economic sciences.

But how many of us are aware of how this most esteemed of awards started?

History

The international awards were established by Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) of Sweden, an inventor, chemist, engineer and a wealthy businessman, who had 355 patents under his name. His most famous invention was dynamite, which he got patented in 1867. His invention revolutionised the construction industry as dynamite became a key material in the speedy construction of roads, tunnels and canals. The fact that dynamite was later used extensively in warfare and for other destructive purposes affected him deeply. This led him to devote his wealth towards serving humanity by establishing the Nobel Prize as a means of recognising outstanding contributions and achievements at global level, in the field of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, economic sciences and pursuit of peace.

Alfred Nobel died on December 10, 1896, one year after establishing the Nobel Prize fund. The first of these awards was conferred in 1901. The recipients are picked annually by the following institutions:

(a) The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for physics and chemistry;

(b) The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet for medicine;

(c) The Swedish Academy for literature;

(d) The Norwegian Nobel Committee for peace and

It serves as a global recognition for the individuals for their outstanding contributions to the extent of making them living legends. They become role models and provide inspiration to youngsters to follow in their footsteps

(e) The Sveriges Riksban for economics.

The nomination and selection process is an elaborate and transparent one. Renowned experts from each field nominate the candidates. After a thorough scrutiny, winners are selected by the designated institutions. The names of the selected winners are announced in October of each year and the prizes conferred in a grand ceremony.

The ceremony

The Nobel Prize Ceremony is a grand event held annually in Stockholm on December 10 (the death anniversary of Alfred Nobel) for all categories except the Peace Prize, which is held in Oslo, Norway. The ceremony is attended by the Nobel Prize winners from all over the world, and by members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and other royal and high dignitaries. The audience also gets to hear lectures by Nobel laureates. They receive their awards (in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and economics ) from the monarch of Sweden at Stockholm. The award for peace is bestowed by the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, at Oslo. Both the (at Stockholm and Oslo) get extensive media coverage and are broadcast live globally.

Impact

For well over a century, the Nobel Prize has had a profound impact. For the laureates it is a crucial global recognition of their outstanding contributions. It turns them into living legends. It also provides them a platform for sharing their knowledge and insights. On another level, it is a matter of great honour and pride for a nation if one of its citizens is awarded the coveted prize. Dr Abdus Salam was Pakistan’s first Nobel Laureate (physics, 1979). Malala Yousufzai got the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

The writer, a senior consultant at the Burki Institute of Public Policy at Netsol, is a corporate member of the Institution of ngineering Technology, UK, and a chartered engineer, UK. He may be contacted at: [email protected]