Biography of nobel prize

One of five Nobel Prizes established by Alfred Nobel

"Nobel Peace" redirects here. For the film, see Nobel Peace (film).

Award

The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish and Norwegian: Nobels fredspris) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiology or Medicine, and Literature. Since March , it has been awarded annually (with some exceptions) to people who have "done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."The Oxford Dictionary of Contemporary History describes it as "the most prestigious prize in the world."

In accordance with Nobel's will, the recipient is selected by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, a five-member committee appointed by the Parliament of Norway. The prize award ceremony is held in Oslo City Hall since , previously in the assembly hall of the University of Oslo (–), Norwegian Nobel Institute (–), and the Parliament (–).

Due to its political nature, the Nobel Peace Prize has, for most of its history, been subject to numerous controversies.

The prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo from Japan, an organisation formed by survivor groups of atomic bomb victims "for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again".

Background

According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to

Prizes established by Alfred Nobel in

Award

The Nobel Prizes (noh-BEL; Swedish: Nobelpriset[nʊˈbɛ̂lːˌpriːsɛt]; Norwegian: Nobelprisen[nʊˈbɛ̀lːˌpriːsn̩]) are five separate prizes awarded to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind, as established by the will of Swedish chemist, engineer, and industrialist Alfred Nobel, in the year before he died. Prizes were first awarded in by the Nobel Foundation. Nobel's will indicated that the awards should be granted in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. A sixth prize for Economic Sciences, endowed by Sweden's central bank, Sveriges Riksbank, and first presented in , is also frequently included, as it is also administered by the Nobel Foundation. The Nobel Prizes are widely regarded as the most prestigious awards available in their respective fields.

The prize ceremonies take place annually. Each recipient, known as a laureate, receives a green goldmedal plated with 24 karat gold, a diploma, and a monetary award. As of , the Nobel Prize monetary award is 11,, kr, amounting to approximately US$1,, The medal shows Nobel in profile with "NAT. MDCCCXXXIII- OB. MDCCCXCVI" which is his year of birth, (NAT) and year of death, (OB). A prize may not be shared among more than three individuals, although the Nobel Peace Prize can be awarded to organisations of more than three people. Nobel Prizes are not awarded posthumously, but if a person is awarded a prize and dies before receiving it, the prize is presented.

The Nobel Prizes, beginning in , and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, beginning in , have been awarded times to people and 25 organisations. Five individuals and two organisations have received more than one Nobel Prize.

History

Alfred Nobel was

When the Swedish businessman Alfred Nobel passed away in , he left behind what was then one of the world’s largest private fortunes. In his last will Nobel declared that the whole of his remaining fortune of 31, 5 million Swedish crowns was to be invested in safe securities and should constitute a fund "the interest on which shall be annually distributed in the form of prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind"

Will

The will specified in which fields the prizes should be awarded – physics, chemistry, medicine or physiology, literature and peace – and which criteria the respective prize committees should apply when choosing their prize recipients. According to the will the Nobel Peace Prize was to be awarded “to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses.”

Norwegian Nobel Committee

Alfred Nobel’s will declared that the Nobel Peace Prize was to be awarded by a committee of five persons selected by the Norwegian Storting (parliament). The Storting accepted the assignment in April , and the Nobel Committee of the Norwegian Storting was set up in August of the same year. Read more about the Norwegian Nobel Committee (as it is now known) here.

Nobel Foundation

In Sweden, however, Nobel's will triggered a lengthy legal battle with parts of the Nobel family. It was not until this conflict had been resolved, and financial matters had been satisfactorily arranged through the establishment of the Nobel Foundation in Sweden in , that the Norwegian Nobel Committee and the other prize-awarding bodies could begin their work.

First award

The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in The Peace Prize for that year was shared between the Frenchman Frédéric Passy and the Swiss Jean Henry Dunant.