The 2023 Nobel Prize season begins this Monday with the announcement of the prize in the area of Medicine and continues until the 9th, when the prize in Economics will be announced.
Throughout the week, the winners of the Physics (Tuesday), Chemistry (Wednesday), Literature (Thursday) and Peace (Friday) awards will be announced. The announcement of the distinction in the area of Economic Sciences is scheduled for the 9th.
In Medicine, experts’ predictions include research into immune cells capable of fighting cancer, the study of the human microbiota and work on the causes of narcolepsy as favorite candidates.
All categories will be announced in Stockholm, Sweden, except the Nobel Peace Prize which, as usual, will be awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee and will take place at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo.
The Nobel Peace Prize received 351 nominations this year, in a context in which the war in Ukraine is prolonged, the international community is fragmented and catastrophes are multiplying, admitting as a possibility that the award will not be awarded this year.
“In many respects, it would be appropriate for the committee not to award the prize this year,” said Swedish professor Peter Wallensteen, a specialist in international affairs.
“It would be a good way to draw attention to the seriousness of the global situation, as happened in the years after the two world wars,” he added.
But in Oslo, not finding a winner among the hundreds of applications received would be seen as an admission of failure.
“It is very difficult to imagine” such a scenario, said the secretary of the Nobel Committee, Olav Njølstad, quoted by Agence France-Presse.
“I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, but the world needs something to put it on the right path,” he added, stressing that it is “really necessary” for the Nobel Peace Prize to be awarded this year.
Experts propose as possible options Iranian women who, since the death of the young Mahsa Amini, in September 2022, after being arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress code imposed on women, have expressed their anger; war crimes investigators in Ukraine or activists fighting climate change, at a time when the summer of 2023 was the hottest ever recorded in the world and when bad weather, fires and floods are ravaging the entire planet.
The Fridays for Future movement, inspired by the young Swedish Greta Thunberg, the Brazilian leader Raoni Metuktire, defender of the rights of indigenous peoples, the International Criminal Court, the Iranians Narges Mohammadi and Masih Alinejad, the Afghan journalist Mahbouba Seraj and the Russian His opponent Vladimir Kara-Murza are some of the names in the competition.
The winners of this year’s Nobel Prizes will receive an additional one million Swedish crowns, bringing the total amount received by the winners to 11 million Swedish crowns (around 925 thousand euros).
Source: TSF
