The Nobel Prize in Physics 2020

Roger Penrose preliminary portrait

© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Fergus Kennedy

Prize share: 1/2

Reinhard Genzel preliminary portrait

© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Bernhard Ludewig

Prize share: 1/4

Andrea Ghez preliminary portrait

© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Annette Buhl

Prize share: 1/4

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2020 was divided, one half awarded to Roger Penrose "for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity", the other half jointly to Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez "for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy."

To cite this section
MLA style: The Nobel Prize in Physics 2020. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Media AB 2021. Wed. 3 Mar 2021. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2020/summary/>

Back to top Back To Top Takes users back to the top of the page

Learn more

Nobel Prizes 2020

Twelve laureates were awarded a Nobel Prize in 2020, for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.

Their work and discoveries range from the formation of black holes and genetic scissors to efforts to combat hunger and develop new auction formats.

See them all presented here.
Nobel Prizes 2020 graphics

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.