The key facts

  • The 2026 laureates were announced October 5–12 in six categories
  • Medicine: prize for discoveries in optogenetics and light-sensitive ion channels
  • The prize amount was increased to 12 million kronor (~$1.2 million) in honor of the 125th anniversary

Nobel Week 2026

The 2026 Nobel Prize laureates were announced from October 5 to 12. According to Kun.uz, the prizes in six categories were awarded to scientists, a poetess, and a legal scholar. According to the outlet, the Peace Prize was awarded to the head of the UN commission that concluded genocide was committed in Gaza. President Trump, who did not receive the prize, sharply criticized the Nobel Committee. The award ceremony will take place on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death, in Stockholm and Oslo.

How Laureates Are Chosen

Nobel selection is not an open competition: one cannot apply or nominate oneself. The laureates in physics, chemistry, and economics are chosen by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences; in physiology or medicine — by the Nobel Assembly of the Karolinska Institute, consisting of 50 professors. The Literature Prize is awarded by the Swedish Academy of 18 members, and the Peace Prize — by the five-year Nobel Committee appointed by the Norwegian parliament. Nominations in the scientific and literature categories may be made by members of the academies, former laureates, and professors; in literature, also heads of writers' unions; for the Peace Prize the circle is broader — tens of thousands of people, including parliamentarians, heads of state, and professors of history, law, and philosophy. The names of nominees are kept secret for 50 years. One prize may be divided among at most three people; a laureate receives a diploma, a gold medal weighing on average 175 grams, and a cash prize.

Prize Amount and Medicine

In connection with the prize's 125th anniversary, the Nobel Foundation increased the amount of each prize from 11 to 12 million Swedish kronor — approximately 1.2 million US dollars. The Physiology or Medicine Prize was announced on October 5 by the Nobel Assembly of the Karolinska Institute: it was awarded 'for the discovery of light-gated ion channels and for achievements in the field of optogenetics.' In total, in 2026, ten people received prizes in six categories.