诺贝尔奖由瑞典皇家科学院、瑞典学院、卡罗琳学院和挪威诺贝尔委员会每年颁发一次,分别授予在化学、物理学、文学、和平、生理学或医学和经济学领域作出杰出贡献的人士[1]。除经济学奖外,其他五个奖项都是于1895年根据阿尔弗雷德·诺贝尔的遗嘱设立,这五个奖项也就都是由诺贝尔基金会进行管理。诺贝尔经济学奖又名“瑞典国家银行纪念阿尔弗雷德·诺贝尔经济学奖”,由瑞典中央銀行于1968年设立,旨在奖励在经济学领域作出杰出贡献的人士[2]。每个奖都是由独立的委员会颁发,瑞典皇家科学院颁奖物理学、化学和经济学奖,瑞典学院颁奖文学奖,卡罗琳学院颁奖生理学或医学奖,挪威诺贝尔委员会颁奖和平奖[3]。每位获奖者都将获得一枚奖牌,一份证书以及不同数额的奖金[2]。1901年,首批诺贝尔奖获得者拿到了15万零782瑞典克朗的奖金,相当于2007年12月的773万1004瑞典克朗。2008年,获奖者的奖金数额为一千万瑞典克朗[4]。除和平奖是在奥斯陆颁发外,另外五个奖都是在斯德哥尔摩举行的仪式上颁发,颁奖日期为每年的12月10日,这天是诺贝尔的忌日[5]。
截至2024年,诺贝尔奖有910次授予男性,66次授予女性,此外还有28次授予组织[6][7][8]。首位赢得诺贝尔奖的女性是玛丽·居里,她和亨利·贝可勒尔以及自己的丈夫皮埃尔·居里一起赢得了1903年的诺贝尔物理学奖[7][9]。瑪麗·居禮也是唯一一位多次获奖的女性,她还在1911年获得诺贝尔化学奖,所以诺贝尔奖女性得主一共是65位。瑪麗·居禮的女儿伊雷娜·约里奥-居里于1935年获诺贝尔化学奖,两人也是唯一一对获诺贝尔奖的母女[7]。共有19位女性曾获诺贝尔和平奖,18位曾获诺贝尔文学奖,13位曾获诺贝尔生理学或医学奖,8位曾获诺贝尔化学奖,5位曾获诺贝尔物理学奖,3位曾获诺贝尔经济学奖。2009年共有5位女性获得诺贝尔奖,是历史上最多的一年[10][11][12][13]。
in recognition of the extraordinary services they have rendered by their joint researches on the radiation phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel.
for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase.
who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed.
for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome.
for her analysis of economic governance, especially the commons.
in appreciation of the lofty idealism, vivid imagination and spiritual perception that characterize her writings.
in recognition of her services to the advancement of chemistry by the discovery of the elements radium and polonium, by the isolation of radium and the study of the nature and compounds of this remarkable element.
or her idealistically inspired writings which with plastic clarity picture the life on her native island and with depth and sympathy deal with human problems in general.
principally for her powerful descriptions of Northern life during the Middle Ages.
in recognition of their synthesis of new radioactive elements.
for her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China and for her biographical masterpieces.
for her lyric poetry which, inspired by powerful emotions, has made her name a symbol of the idealistic aspirations of the entire Latin American world.
for their discovery of the course of the catalytic conversion of glycogen.
for their discoveries concerning nuclear shell structure.
for her determinations by X-ray techniques of the structures of important biochemical substances.
for her outstanding lyrical and dramatic writing, which interprets Israel's destiny with touching strength.
for the development of radioimmunoassays of peptide hormones.
for her discovery of mobile genetic elements.
for their discoveries of growth factors.
for their discoveries of important principles for drug treatment.
who through her magnificent epic writing has - in the words of Alfred Nobel - been of very great benefit to humanity.
for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights.
in recognition of her work for social justice and ethno-cultural reconciliation based on respect for the rights of indigenous peoples.
who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality.
for their discoveries concerning the genetic control of early embryonic development.
for poetry that with ironic precision allows the historical and biological context to come to light in fragments of human reality.
for their work for the banning and clearing of anti-personnel mines.
for her efforts for democracy and human rights. She has focused especially on the struggle for the rights of women and children.
for her musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that with extraordinary linguistic zeal reveal the absurdity of society's clichés and their subjugating power.
for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.
for their discoveries of odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system.
that epicist of the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny.
for their discovery of human immunodeficiency virus.
for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.
master of the contemporary short story.