Alfred Nobel was a very wealthy scientist and writer. He is famous for inventing dynamite and other forms of explosives. Upon his death 1895 he left more than $9 million in a trust to be distributed in honor of those who contributed something significant to society. The individuals can be from any location around the world.
Winning the Nobel Prize is considered to be one of the highest honors a person or institution can be awarded. It recognizes significant achievements and contributions in the areas of medicine, peace, literature, physics, chemistry, physiology, and economics. There is plenty of competition out there for a Nobel Prize. For this reason some individuals are nominated many times before they win or they may not win at all. The benefits of the contribution have to be carefully weighed and evaluated and that is a tough decision in most instances.
For each of the areas where a person can win a Nobel Prize there is a committee. They are responsible for sending out nomination forms to various entities. As those nomination forms come back the information is carefully evaluated by the committee. Experts in the particular field are asked to provide their input to the committee so that they winners can fairly be chosen on merit. The process takes almost a year to complete. For each area up to three winners can be chosen.
However the names of the nominees are kept secret for 50 years after they were nominated. While the Nobel Prize is said to be based on a strong foundation of truth and honesty many question the winners from time to time. They find it hard to believe some individuals such as Ghandi were never a recipient of the Nobel Prize. They also question the significance of some of the contributions that people have won for.
The winners are announced each year in October but the award ceremony doesn’t take place until December 10th which is the anniversary of Alfred Noble’s death. Each winner is honored with a medal, a diploma, and a cash prize. The amount of the cash prize varies but it is generally more than $1 million. The prize is divided among the winners. The majority of winners of the Nobel Prize donate part or all of their award to various causes they support.
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