Has anyone received a Nobel Prize after death?

Yes, people have received Nobel Prizes after death, though current rules generally prevent posthumous awards; exceptions occurred before 1974 (Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Dag Hammarskjöld) and after 1974 if death happens after the announcement but before the ceremony (Ralph Steinman, William Vickrey).

Has anyone won a Nobel Prize after death?

Posthumous Nobel Prizes laureates:

Erik Axel Karlfeldt; received Nobel Prize in Literature (1931). Dag Hammarskjöld; received Nobel Peace Prize (1961).

Why is the Nobel Prize not given after death?

TIL The Nobel Peace Prize can not be awarded to a dead person. The prize was not awarded in 1948 because there was ``no suitable living candidate'' as Gandhi was recently assassinated.

Do Nobel Peace winners get money?

The prize itself – the honour and recognition – remains inseparably linked to the person or organisation designated as the laureate by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. A Nobel Peace Prize laureate receives two central symbols of the prize: a gold medal and a diploma. In addition, the prize money is awarded separately.

Has a Nobel Peace Prize ever been revoked?

Nobel Prizes cannot be revoked once awarded, according to the committee, as neither Alfred Nobel's will nor the Statutes of the Nobel Foundation mention any such possibility, it has said. Choices of recipients are also not reconsidered for the same reasons, it has said.

Scientist awarded Nobel Prize after death

Has Barack Obama won a Nobel Peace Prize?

The 2009 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to United States president Barack Obama (b. 1961) for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples".

Why do so many Jews have Nobel Prizes?

The two principal theories that have been advanced to explain this are that Jews have high intelligence and, alternatively, that they have cultural values that promote success. We review the evidence and present new data suggesting that high intelligence is the more important of these two factors.

Has anyone refused a Nobel Prize?

While most consider the Nobel Prize a major honor, two winners have voluntarily declined the award. Jean-Paul Sartre, who refused all official awards, did not accept the 1964 literature prize. In 1974 he was joined by Le Duc Tho, who, with Henry Kissinger, shared the peace prize for their work to end the Vietnam War.

What is the youngest Nobel Prize winner?

Malala Yousafzai, 17, wins Nobel Peace Prize On October 10, 2014, activist Malala Yousafzai, then 17 years old, won the Nobel Peace Prize. A fierce advocate for girls' education, in her native Pakistan and around the world, she is the youngest-ever Nobel laureate.

How much is a Nobel Prize worth?

The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901 and carried a cash award of SEK 150,782, equivalent to SEK 9.9 million in 2025, which was roughly $1.07 million. The 2025 Nobel Prizes were worth SEK 11 million ($1.19 million USD), which is about the same amount as 1901, adjusted for inflation.

What is the most controversial Nobel Peace Prize?

The 1973 Nobel Peace Prize, awarded to Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho for negotiating a Vietnam War ceasefire, is widely considered the most controversial, with Tho refusing the prize and two committee members resigning in protest as fighting continued, Euronews, Washington Examiner, Wikipedia. Other highly controversial awards include the 1994 prize for Yasser Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin, and Shimon Peres for the Oslo Accords, and Barack Obama in 2009, just months into his presidency. 

Which family has won 5 Nobel Prizes?

The Curie family holds a unique record as the only family to win five Nobel Prizes. Marie and Pierre Curie were awarded the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics for their pioneering work on radiation phenomena. Marie further distinguished herself with the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her discoveries of radium and polonium.

Who is the only person who declined the Nobel Prize?

Jean-Paul Sartre, who declined all official awards, did not accept the 1964 literature prize. And Le Duc Tho who did not accept the 1974 peace prize (shared with Henry Kissinger) because “peace has not yet been established” in Vietnam.

Who is the only person to win a Nobel Prize twice?

If receiving a Nobel Prize is the highest recognition for a scientist, being awarded twice by the Swedish Academy of Sciences is an extraordinary fact that, so far, only four people can boast: Frederick Sanger, Linus Pauling, John Bardeen and Marie Curie.

Why did James Watson sell his Nobel Prize?

James Watson sold his Nobel Prize medal in 2014 primarily to raise money for scientific institutions, including the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, after facing professional ostracization due to controversial, racist remarks about Black people's intelligence and sexism, which diminished his standing and income. The sale, a first by a living laureate, was partly a philanthropic act, but also served to address his financial needs and perhaps find a form of redemption by supporting science, though the medal was later returned by the buyer. 

Why didn't Gandhi get the Nobel Prize?

In 1948, Gandhi received six letters of nomination and was on the shortlist for the Peace Prize but he was assassinated on 30 January 1948, two days before the closing date for nominations.

Did Greta Thunberg win a Nobel Prize?

But instead of bestowing the prize on the 16-year-old Swede, the Norwegian Nobel Committee gave it to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who was praised for his efforts to “achieve peace and international cooperation.”

Who is the oldest Nobel Prize winner ever?

The John B. Goodenough Award in materials science is named for him. In 2019, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry alongside M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino; at 97 years old, he became the oldest Nobel laureate in history.

What does Malala do now?

Malala continues her advocacy as executive chair and co-founder of Malala Fund, taking the movement for girls' education to governments and leaders around the world. She is passionate about storytelling and continues to uplift girls' voices and demands.

Has anyone ever lost a Nobel Prize?

A Nobel Prize can neither be revoked, shared, nor transferred to others. Once the announcement has been made, the decision stands for all time. This does not prevent the Committee from following the future endeavours of laureates closely, even though it expresses neither its concerns nor its acclamation.

Why did Bob Dylan not accept his Nobel Prize?

He told the committee in charge of the award ceremony that he had "pre-existing commitments" and was unable to accept the prize in person.

Why is there no math Nobel?

Nobel was never married. There are more credible reasons as to why there is no Nobel prize in math. Chiefly among them is simply the fact he didn't care much for mathematics, and that it was not considered a practical science from which humanity could benefit (a chief purpose for creating the Nobel Foundation).

Which religion won the most Nobel Prizes?

In an estimate by Baruch Shalev, between 1901 and 2000 about two-thirds of Nobel Prize winners were either Christians or had a Christian background.

Which ethnicity has the most Nobel Prizes?

Jews have been awarded 40% of the Nobel Prizes in economics, 30% of those in medicine, 25% in physics, 20% in chemistry, 15% in literature and 10% of the Nobel Peace Prizes. Since the beginning of the 20th century, there have been just over 900 Nobel Prizes awarded.

How many American Jews have won the Nobel Prize?

At least 221 Jews and people of half- or three-quarters-Jewish ancestry have been awarded the Nobel Prize,1 accounting for 22% of all individual recipients worldwide between 1901 and 2025, and constituting 36% of all US recipients2 during the same period.