The Nobel Foundation recently revealed the complete roster of laureates for 2019. This prestigious list encompasses significant contributions and achievements across various fields such as Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Economic Sciences, and Literature.
The 2019 Nobel Laureates: Contributions and Recognitions
In Physics, James Peebles was awarded for his theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology, while Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz were recognized for their discovery of an exoplanet, “51 Pegasi b,” orbiting a solar-type star. The chemistry award was shared among John B Goodenough, M Stanley Whittingham, and Akira Yoshino for developing lithium-ion batteries.
The Physiology/Medicine category saw William G. Kaelin Jr, Sir Peter J. Ratcliffe, and Gregg L. Semenza winning for their work on how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability. In the field of Economic Sciences, Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Michael Kremer were honored for their experimental approach to reducing global poverty.
Literature had two winners: Peter Handke for 2019 won for his work that investigates human experience with a unique linguistic approach, and Olga Tokarczuk for 2018 was honored for her narrative imagination and passion for crossing boundaries. Finally, the Peace Prize was bestowed upon Abiy Ahmed Ali, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, for his initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea.
About the Nobel Prizes
In 1895, Alfred Nobel, a Swedish scientist, established five Nobel prizes through his will. The Nobel Foundation, a private institution set up in 1900, has been responsible for fulfilling Alfred Nobel’s intentions in his will since its inception. The first Nobel Prizes in Chemistry, Literature, Peace, Physics, and Physiology or Medicine were awarded in 1901.
| Year | Nobel Prize Category | First Laureate(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | Chemistry | Jacobus H. van ‘t Hoff |
| 1901 | Literature | Sully Prudhomme |
| 1901 | Peace | Henry Dunant, Frédéric Passy |
| 1901 | Physics | Wilhelm Röntgen |
| 1901 | Physiology/Medicine | Emil Adolf von Behring |
The Selection of the Nobel Laureates
Alfred Nobel’s last will and testament outlined the institutions responsible for selecting the laureates for the prizes he wished to establish. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences selects the Nobel Prize winners in Physics and Chemistry, the Karolinska Institutet for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, The Swedish Academy for the Nobel Prize in Literature, and a Committee of five persons chosen by the Norwegian Parliament (Storting) for the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank established the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences was given the task to select the Laureates in Economic Sciences starting in 1969. While the original five Nobel Prizes are based on a fund from the wealth bequeathed by Alfred Nobel, the Economic Prize is based on a donation received by the Nobel Foundation in 1968 from Sveriges Riksbank.
