Nobel Prizes: Complete List of Categories, First Indian Winners and Selection Process

Quick Answer: Nobel Prize Categories, First Indian Winners and Selection Process at a Glance

Quick answer: The Nobel Prize is awarded annually in six categories — Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Peace, and Economic Sciences. Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian laureate, winning the Literature prize in 1913 for Gitanjali. Winners are chosen by prize-awarding institutions in Sweden and Norway through a secret nomination-and-voting process, with announcements in October and the award ceremony on 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.

What Is the Nobel Prize? Origin and Alfred Nobel’s Will (1895)

The Nobel Prize originates from the will of Swedish inventor and industrialist Alfred Nobel, signed on 27 November 1895. Nobel, who held over 350 patents including dynamite, bequeathed the bulk of his fortune to a fund whose annual interest would be distributed “to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.”

The first prizes were awarded in 1901, five years after Nobel’s death, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. The Nobel Foundation, established in 1900, manages the finances and administration of the prizes, while independent prize-awarding institutions handle the actual selections. The official repository of all information — laureates, nomination archives and statutes — is nobelprize.org.

Complete List of Six Nobel Prize Categories and Awarding Bodies

• Physics — awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm.
• Chemistry — awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
• Physiology or Medicine — awarded by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm.
• Literature — awarded by the Swedish Academy, Stockholm.
• Peace — awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, appointed by the Norwegian Parliament (Storting), presented in Oslo.
• Economic Sciences (officially the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel) — awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences: Why It Was Added in 1969

This is a classic exam trap. The Economics prize was not in Alfred Nobel’s will. It was established in 1968 by Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden’s central bank) to mark its 300th anniversary, and first awarded in 1969 — to Jan Tinbergen and Ragnar Frisch. Its full name is the “Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.” The Nobel Foundation administers it alongside the original five prizes, but technically it is a memorial prize, not an original Nobel Prize. Remember: established 1968, first awarded 1969.

Nobel Prize Selection Process: Nomination, Screening and Final Vote

The selection process runs through a strict annual cycle. Details are published by the Nobel Foundation at nobelprize.org/nomination.

1. Invitation to nominate (September): Thousands of qualified nominators — past laureates, academy members, university professors, national governments and parliamentarians (for Peace) — are invited to submit nominations.
2. Nomination deadline (31 January): Self-nomination is not permitted.
3. Committee review (February–June): Each Nobel committee screens nominations and prepares a shortlist with expert evaluations.
4. Consultation and final recommendation (June–August): Special advisers assess shortlisted candidates.
5. Final vote (September–October): The full awarding institution votes by majority; the decision is final and cannot be appealed.
6. Announcement (early October): The physics and chemistry prizes are announced first, followed by the other categories.
7. Award ceremony (10 December): The anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.

The entire process — nominations, evaluations and deliberations — is kept sealed for 50 years.

Key Facts About the Nobel Prize: Medal, Cash Award and Ceremonies

• Prize money: Currently 11 million Swedish kronor per full prize, drawn from the Nobel Foundation’s investment returns on Nobel’s original bequest.
• Ceremonies: Five prizes are presented in Stockholm; the Peace Prize is presented separately in Oslo, Norway.
• Date: All ceremonies are held on 10 December, Nobel’s death anniversary.
• No posthumous awards: Since 1974, a laureate must be alive at the time of the announcement. If a laureate dies between announcement and ceremony, the prize is still awarded posthumously in that narrow window.
• Sharing: A prize may be split among up to three people (Peace can also go to organisations).

First Indian Nobel Laureates: Field-by-Field List

• Literature — Rabindranath Tagore (1913): For Gitanjali. First Indian and first non-European Literature laureate.
• Physics — C.V. Raman (1930): For the Raman Effect (Raman scattering); also the first Asian to win a Science Nobel.
• Peace — Mother Teresa (1979): Indian citizen of Albanian origin, for her work with the poor in Kolkata.
• Medicine — Har Gobind Khorana (1968): Indian-born (shared prize) for interpreting the genetic code — he was a US citizen at the time.
• Chemistry — Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (2009): Indian-born, for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome.
• Economics — Amartya Sen (1998): For contributions to welfare economics; first Indian citizen to win the Economics prize.

Complete List of Indian and Indian-Origin Nobel Laureates

Count-wise: India has produced citizens or persons of Indian origin across every six Nobel categories — a favourite stat in interviews and MCQs.

First Female Indian Nobel Laureate and Other Notable Records

Mother Teresa (1979) is the first female Indian Nobel laureate. Other record points examiners love:

• Tagore — first non-European Literature laureate (1913).
• C.V. Raman — first Asian Science Nobel laureate (1930); his laureate citation ceremony coincided with his birthday eve.
• Kailash Satyarthi — the 2014 Peace Prize was shared with Malala Yousafzai, then the youngest-ever laureate (17).
• Marie Curie remains the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences (Physics 1903, Chemistry 1911).

Why Nobel Prizes Matter for UPSC, SSC and Banking Exams

Nobel questions combine static GK (categories, awarding bodies, history) with October current affairs (that year’s laureates). SSC and Banking papers typically ask one-liners: “Who awards the Peace Prize?” or “First Indian Nobel laureate?” UPSC uses Nobel-linked facts in prelims via economy, science and peace-prize themes, and in mains examples (Amartya Sen on welfare, Satyarthi on child labour). After every October announcement cycle, revise the fresh laureates list within a week — that is when mock tests pick it up.

Rapid Revision: One-Page Fact Sheet for Last-Minute Review

• Will signed: 27 November 1895; first prizes: 1901.
• Ceremony: 10 December (Nobel’s death anniversary) — Stockholm (5 prizes) and Oslo (Peace).
• Peace Prize: Norwegian Nobel Committee (5 members, appointed by the Storting).
• Economics: Sveriges Riksbank prize, established 1968, first awarded 1969 — not in Nobel’s will.
• Nominations sealed 50 years; no self-nomination; no posthumous awards since 1974.
• Prize money 2024 level: SEK 11 million per full prize.
• First Indian laureate: Tagore (1913, Literature); first Indian in Physics: C.V. Raman (1930).
• Only Indian to win Physics as citizen: C.V. Raman; Economics as citizen: Amartya Sen (1998).
• 2019 Economics: Abhijit Banerjee (with Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer).

Practice Questions on Nobel Prizes (MCQs with Answers)

1. The Nobel Prize in Peace is awarded by:
(a) Swedish Academy (b) Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (c) Norwegian Nobel Committee (d) Karolinska Institute
Answer: (c)

2. Who was the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize?
(a) C.V. Raman (b) Rabindranath Tagore (c) Mother Teresa (d) Har Gobind Khorana
Answer: (b) — Literature, 1913, for Gitanjali.

3. The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences was first awarded in:
(a) 1901 (b) 1945 (c) 1969 (d) 1974
Answer: (c)

4. Nobel Prize ceremonies are held every year on:
(a) 10 October (b) 10 December (c) 27 November (d) 1 December
Answer: (b) — Alfred Nobel’s death anniversary.

5. C.V. Raman won the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics for:
(a) Quantum theory (b) Raman Effect (c) Nuclear fission (d) Cosmic rays
Answer: (b)

6. Nobel nomination records are kept secret for:
(a) 25 years (b) 50 years (c) 75 years (d) 100 years
Answer: (b)

7. Who won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize representing India?
(a) Mother Teresa (b) Kailash Satyarthi (c) Amartya Sen (d) Abhijit Banerjee
Answer: (b) — shared with Malala Yousafzai.

8. Which body awards the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine?
(a) Swedish Academy (b) Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute (c) World Health Organization (d) Nobel Foundation
Answer: (b)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who was the first Indian Nobel Prize winner?

Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for Gitanjali — the first Indian and the first non-European laureate in Literature.

Q: Which Indian won the Nobel Prize in Physics?

Sir C.V. Raman in 1930 for the Raman Effect; he was also the first Asian to win a Science Nobel.

Q: Is the Nobel Prize in Economics a real Nobel Prize?

Technically no. It was established in 1968 by Sveriges Riksbank in memory of Alfred Nobel and first awarded in 1969; it is not mentioned in Nobel’s will.

Q: Can a Nobel Prize be awarded posthumously?

Generally no — the nominee must be alive at the time of announcement, with rare historical exceptions before the 1974 rule change.

Q: Where and when are the Nobel Prizes awarded?

Ceremonies are held on 10 December (Nobel’s death anniversary) — in Stockholm for five prizes and Oslo for the Peace Prize.

Sources: NobelPrize.org (official Nobel Foundation website).

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