Nominated Women

Nominations for the Nobel Prizes are handled by the Nobel Prize awarding institutions. All nominations are kept secret for 50 years.

Who Were the First Women Nominated for A Nobel Prize?

The Nobel Prize in Physics

Nominated in 1902: Marie Curie (awarded in 1903)

The next time a woman was nominated for physics was in 1934, Irène Joliot-Curie (awarded the 1935 Chemistry Prize).

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Nominated in 1911: Marie Curie (awarded in 1911).

The next time a woman was nominated was in 1924 when Lise Meitner was nominated (never awarded).

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Nominated in 1922: Cécile Vogt (never awarded).

The next year, in 1923, Cécile Vogt was nominated again and another woman, Maud Slye, was also nominated (never awarded). The first time a woman was awarded the Medicine Prize was in 1947 (Gerty Cori).

The Nobel Prize in Literature

Nominated in 1901: Malwida von Meysenbug (never awarded).

The first time a woman was awarded the Literature Prize was in 1909 (Selma Lagerlöf).

The Nobel Peace Prize

Nominated in 1901: Bertha von Suttner (awarded 1905) and Belva Ann Lockwood (never awarded).

The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel

Since the Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prize, was awarded for the first time in 1969, no nominations are yet revealed. 

Explore the nomination archive

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