Neuron image

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Watch the 2023 Nobel Prize announcements

Coming up

Physiology or medicine – Monday 2 October, 11:30 CEST at the earliest
Physics – Tuesday 3 October, 11:45 CEST at the earliest
Chemistry – Wednesday 4 October, 11:45 CEST at the earliest
Literature – Thursday 5 October, 13:00 CEST at the earliest
Peace – Friday 6 October, 11:00 CEST
Economic sciences – Monday 9 October, 11:45 CEST at the earliest

Quick facts

Did you know?

113 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine have been awarded since 1901.

12 women have been awarded the medicine prize so far.

32 years was the age of the youngest medicine laureate ever, Frederick G. Banting, who was awarded the 1923 medicine prize for the discovery of insulin.

87 years was the age of the oldest medicine laureate ever, Peyton Rous, when he was awarded the medicine prize in 1966 for his discovery of tumour-inducing viruses.

1 father and son duo Sune Bergström and Svante Pääbo have each been awarded a medicine prize. Svante Pääbo was awarded 40 years after his father.

More facts and figures about the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Who are the medicine laureates?

See all Nobel Prize laureates in physiology or medicine 1901-2022 and why they were awarded the Nobel Prize.
Svante Pääbo after receiving his Nobel Prize

Medicine laureate Svante Pääbo.

© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Nanaka Adachi

Who selects the Nobel Prize laureates?

In his last will and testament, Alfred Nobel specifically designated the institutions responsible for the prizes he wished to be established.

Karolinska institutet in Stockholm.

Photographer: Ulf Sirborn

Who did what?

Medicine prize Q&A

The Nobel Prize call

I think it's a shock

Surprised, overwhelmed, terrified, happy. How would you react if you suddenly heard that you had been awarded the Nobel Prize? Here, six laureates share their stories.

More about the ‘Nobel Prize call’

Nobel Prize Conversations

Behind the scenes

Each year in October, Adam Smith takes on the challenge of reaching the brand new Nobel Prize laureates for a telephone interview. In this new bonus episode of Nobel Prize Conversations, Adam takes us behind the scenes for even more of these calls and his favourite moments.
Illustration

Nobel Prize facts

Last year's laureates

14 laureates were awarded Nobel Prizes in 2022. See a short presentation of them here.

Nobel Prize award ceremony 2022

Nobel Prize award ceremony 2022.

© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Clément Morin

Nobel Prizes to women

See the list of all women awarded a Nobel Prize or a prize in economic sciences so far.

Annie Ernaux after receiving her Nobel Prize

2022 literature laureate Annie Ernaux.

Photo: Nanaka Adachi

Oldest laureate

John B. Goodenough was the oldest person to receive a Nobel Prize when he received the chemistry prize in 2019 for developing lithium ion batteries.
John B. Goodenough

John B. Goodenough

© Nobel Media. Photo: A. Mahmoud

Youngest laureate

Youngest Nobel Prize laureate ever is Malala Yousafzai. She was 17 years old when she was awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize.

Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzay

Photo: K. Opprann

The Nobel Prize

Nobel Prizes 2023

Alfred Nobel – Established the Nobel Prizes

Scientist and inventor

Chemist, engineer and industrialist Alfred Nobel left 31 million SEK (today about 342 million dollars) to fund the Nobel Prizes.

A bust of Alfred Nobel, surrounded by a beautiful wall of flowers

Alfred Nobel's early years

When Alfred was five years old his father Immanuel, an inventor and builder, moved to St. Petersburg. Alfred joined him a few years later.

Alfred Nobel 1853

Inventing dynamite

Based on Alfred’s work and patents a whole new industry developed. Within ten years, 16 explosives producing factories had been founded in 14 countries.

Nobels Dynamite 10 Nov 1906

A controversial will

In his will of 27 November 1895, signed in Paris, Alfred Nobel specified that the bulk of his fortune should be used for prizes.

Alfred Nobel Will

Nobel Prize nominations

Who selects the laureates?

In his last will and testament, Alfred Nobel specifically designated the institutions responsible for the prizes he wished to be established.

KVA byggnad fasad sommar

Explore and learn

19 remarkable scientists and their stories

Explore a storytelling experience that celebrates and explores the contributions, careers and lives of 19 women who have been awarded Nobel Prizes for their scientific achievements.
Explore 'Women who changed science'

Watch the documentary series

Five documentaries inspired by the Nobel Peace Prize

A team of female Yazidi deminers in Iraq attempting to clear their land of mines left behind by ISIS. A team of scientists on an extraordinary mission in Mozambique to help better our understanding of climate change. A man building prosthetic legs to help victims of war walk again in South Sudan … All are inspired by Nobel Peace Prize laureates.
Into the fire - image

Play a game!

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1930

The Blood Typing Game

How much do you know about blood types? Did you know that human blood groups were discovered by Nobel Prize laureate Karl Landsteiner in 1901?

Learn more about the way to find out about the human blood groups, blood typing and the importance of safe blood transfusions. See if you can save the lives of the patients in the game!
Blood typing game
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1904

Pavlov's Dog

Is it possible to train a dog to drool on command? Learn about conditioned reflexes in this interactive game!

With this animated game, teachers are able to illustrate classical conditioning in the classroom. The object of the game is to train Pavlov’s dog to respond to a signal that it will associate with being fed.

In 1904, Ivan Pavlov was awarded with Nobel Prize for his pioneering studies of how the digestive system works.
Pavlov's Dog Game

Peace Builders

Step into the shoes of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and learn about the legacy of Alfred Nobel in this immersive learning experience from the Nobel Peace Center. All Minecraft players can now journey alongside Desmond Tutu, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Jody Williams and Carl von Ossietzky to bring their vision of a more democratic, peaceful world to life.
Minecraft peacebuilders

What are you looking for? Search the website.

Nobel destinations

Stockholm, Sweden

Nobel Prize Museum

The Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm, Sweden, illustrates a century of creativity, where visitors can follow the changes of the 20th century through the Nobel Prize and the Nobel Prize laureates.
The Nobel Prize: Ideas Changing the World (3)

The museum showcases the discoveries and creativity of the Nobel Prize laureates.

Photo: Åke Eson Lindman

Oslo, Norway

Nobel Peace Center

Located in the heart of Oslo, Norway, the Nobel Peace Center is a place where you can experience and learn about the various Nobel Peace Prize laureates.
NPC Nye Nobels Hage 10

The story of each peace laureate is told at the museum.

Photo: Johannes Granseth/Nobel Peace Center

In memoriam

Ferid Murad 1936‒2023

Ferid Murad passed away on 4 September 2023. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1998 for discoveries concerning nitric oxide as a signalling molecule in the cardiovascular system. These discoveries opened new avenues for patient treatment and diagnoses of various diseases. 

Read Ferid Murad’s biography
Ferid Murad

Harald zur Hausen dies

Harald zur Hausen passed away on 28 May, age 87. In the 1970s, he went against current dogma and postulated that oncogenic human papilloma virus (HPV) caused cervical cancer. His work led to the development of a vaccine against the disease. In 2008, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Harald zur Hausen