The inventions behind AI
How can computers mimic functions such as memory and learning?
The inventions behind the 2024 physics prize have formed the basis of what we call artificial intelligence.
An unrelenting opposition to Earth’s most dangerous weapons
Nuclear warheads are threatening life on Earth as we know it. Just one of them could kill hundreds of thousands of people with lasting humanitarian and environmental consequences. A number of Nobel Prize laureates have been lauded for their opposition to the deadly arsenals that jeopardise our very existence.
“I suddenly heard the buzzing sound of a bomber jet, and was soon after engulfed in a bright, white light. Surprised, I ran downstairs and got down on the floor, covering my eyes and ears with my hands. The next moment, an intense shock wave passed through our entire house.”
Terumi Tanaka was thirteen years old when an atomic bomb struck his home city of Nagasaki, Japan, on 9 August 1945.
He remembers the overwhelming sight of blackened ruins and scattered corpses as he tried to find family members who lived near the hypocenter. “Many people who were badly injured or burned, but still alive, were left unattended, with no help whatsoever,” he explained, before describing the harrowing moment he found the “charred body” of his aunt and his severely burnt grandfather who was on the brink of death.
Tanaka is one of three co-chairpersons of Nihon Hidankyo, awarded the 2024 peace prize for warning future generations about the terrible consequences of using nuclear weapons.
“I strongly felt that even in war, such killing and maiming must never be allowed to happen.”
Terumi Tanaka, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo
Tanaka’s family members were among the more than 200,000 people that died from the two atomic bomb blasts in Nagasaki and Hiroshima within years of their detonation. It is the only time that nuclear weapons have been used in conflict. Resulting in a massive loss in civilian life, they radically altered the landscape of warfare and their deadly legacy endures.
The surviving victims, known as Hibakusha, have lived with health problems, lost loved ones and faced discrimination because of the atomic attacks. They were forced into silence by occupying forces following the end of World War II, and abandoned by the Japanese government.
Nihon Hidankyo gives Hibakusha an enduring voice. By harnessing the harrowing testimonies of survivors, the Japanese organisation seeks to educate others on the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons. The horrific memories include children with peeling skin and melted fingers, a little girl escaping Hiroshima by walking over dead bodies and the painful recollections of a 21-year-old unable to save crushed people from a collapsed building because of his burns.
By taking these stories and their messages to the nuclear states and the United Nations they aim for no human to suffer like they did.
Warning about the consequences
Nihon Hidankyo is not the first peace prize laureate to warn against the medical, humanitarian and climatic consequences of using nuclear weapons.
Several prominent laureates including Albert Einstein and Joseph Rotblat, a physicist who withdrew from the Manhattan Project (a collaboration between the USA and UK to create nuclear weapons) signed the Russell-Einstein Manifesto against nuclear weapons. They called on human beings to “Remember your humanity and forget the rest”.
Their warning was not heeded, and at the height of the Cold War a staggering 70,000 nuclear weapons threatened humanity’s survival. Two doctors from different sides of the Iron Curtain – Bernhard Lown from the US and Evgeny Chazov from the Soviet Union – who were united in their concern about the medical aspects of the use of nuclear weapons, began to speak out in the belief that they had a professional duty to oppose them.
The two wrote to each other in the 1960s, when their home nations were on the brink of nuclear war. The organisation that sprung up from their correspondence – the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) – received the Nobel Peace Prize 1985 for raising awareness of the human cost of nuclear war, which it described as the “final epidemic”.
By 1985 it had 135,000 members in 40 countries and held conferences to tell the world about the consequences of nuclear war and recommending a nuclear test ban. In his lecture, Chazov stressed: “It is not a political declaration of either communists or capitalists – it is what is demanded by reason, by people the world over who want to live.”
Diplomacy, dialogue and agreements
Instead of appealing to reason, some laureates have sought to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons with formal agreements and treaties.
Chemistry laureate Linus Pauling dedicated his life to seeking the end of the arms race. He was one of the founders of the Pugwash movement, which received the 1995 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to diminish the role of nuclear weapons in the international political arena. He also helped to achieve the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, having personally reached out to two of the most powerful men in the world, on opposite sides of the Iron Curtain.
Pauling sent two telegrams in 1961; one to US President Kennedy, the other to Soviet Premier Khrushchev. He encouraged both leaders to continue the halt in nuclear weapons testing, and later sent a draft of the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty to Khrushchev. The treaty, which bans nuclear testing in the atmosphere, outer space and underwater was signed in 1963 by the USA, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom. It offered hope during the Cold War.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) – a coalition of non-governmental organisations in one hundred countries – has also looked to a treaty-based solution in its work to halt the use of nuclear weapons. The organisation was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. Earlier that year, as the culmination of its grassroots effort, 122 of the UN member states voted in favour of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
ICAN’s former Executive Director, Beatrice Fihn, said ICAN’s work shows ordinary people can make a real difference, by creating action that has contributed to negotiations and treaties that outlaw weapons of mass destruction. She described the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as “a light in a dark time” which provides a choice between two endings: “the end of nuclear weapons, or the end of us.”
Rafael Mariano Grossi is Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which was awarded the peace prize in 2005 for ensuring that “nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way”.
Speaking at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum 2024, Grossi said, “world leaders, including those at the top of the multilateral system, have a duty and an irrevocable responsibility to work towards this [the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons].”
“When it comes to working on behalf of peace and security, playing it safe is dangerous,” Grossi said, calling for an urgent return to diplomacy and dialogue and on the leaders of international organisations to step up as effective brokers of peace.
“Not taking active steps means we rely on luck – or the assumption that the other side will show restraint – to save us from nuclear war. The longer you rely on luck, the more likely it is to run out.”
Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General IAEA
Working to control and reduce nuclear arsenals
Politicians and diplomats have played pivotal roles in controlling and reducing nuclear weapons arsenals and easing international tensions, including Eisaku Sato, Mikhail Gorbachev and Barack Obama.
Two peace prize laureates on opposite sides of the globe worked tirelessly in the pursuit of nuclear weapon-free zones. Alva Myrdal was in charge of disarmament issues in the Swedish government. In her book The Game of Disarmament, she expressed disappointment at the reluctance of the USA and the USSR to disarm, and fought for nuclear weapons-free zones in Europe believing that each individual country ought to take the initiative and ban nuclear arms on its territory.
“It is of the greatest importance that people and governments in many more countries than ours should realize that it is more dangerous to have access to nuclear arms than not to possess them,” she said in her Nobel Prize lecture. “Without nuclear arms we run less risk of being drawn into the orbit of the great powers, with their hyper-dangerous weapons. And after all, there is no defence against them.”
Myrdal shared the Nobel Peace Prize 1982 with Alfonso García Robles, who played a key part in the laborious efforts to make Latin America a nuclear-free zone, following the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, in which the USA and USSR came perilously close to using nuclear weapons.
His work led to an agreement signed by 14 states in Mexico City in 1967 known as the Treaty of Tlatelolco. When the Latin American Nuclear Weapon Free Zone was established, it was the only one in existence to cover densely inhabited territories, joining only Antarctica, outer space and the sea bed as nuke-free zones. Over the years, these have been joined by more treaties that together ensure enormous areas in Asia and Africa are free of nuclear weapons.
Hope for a nuclear bomb-free future
Despite the beliefs and actions of extraordinary individual laureates and organisations such as Nihon Hidankyo playing a major role in creating the “nuclear taboo”, the world is entering what many analysts characterise as a new, more unstable nuclear age, where the role of nuclear weapons in international affairs is changing.
The nine nuclear powers are modernising and upgrading their arsenals, with approximately 12,500 nuclear warheads poised to cause catastrophic humanitarian and environmental damage, with consequences that span decades and cross generations.
Around 90% of them are owned by two countries – the USA and Russia – while there is an ever-present nuclear threat from countries that have never signed treaties and those with ‘secret’ nuclear programs threatening to intensify mistrust between nations and increase risks to civilians.
Key arms control agreements are expiring without being replaced, and threats to use nuclear arms in ongoing warfare have been made openly and repeatedly, with the United Nations describing nuclear weapons as “the most dangerous weapons on Earth.”
Terumi Tanaka from Nihon Hidankyo and other campaigners believe that by heeding warnings from the past, including the testimonies of the Hibakusha, humanity could be spurred into action to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and the threat of annihilation. Tanaka sent a powerful message in his Nobel Prize lecture:
“Ten years from now, there may only be a handful of us able to give testimony as firsthand survivors. From now on, I hope that the next generation will find ways to build on our efforts and develop the movement even further.”
Discover more
At the Nobel Peace Prize Forum 2024, three former Nobel Peace Prize laureates and leading experts on global nuclear politics discussed strategies to mitigate the risk of nuclear war and advance toward nuclear disarmament. The forum also hosted Hibakusha, the survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who gave powerful testimonies.
Watch the Nobel Peace Prize Forum 2024 “NUKES – How to counter the threat” here
This article was published on 9 January 2025.
Event and concept partnerships
The Nobel Prize is proof that ideas really can change the world. Based on the Nobel Prize’s unique combination of fields, the outreach entities within the Nobel sphere organise exhibitions, school programmes, lectures, dialogues and digital content about the great issues of our time. Events and activities aim to ensure that Alfred Nobel’s vision lives on and that the impact of his contributions become even greater.
For outreach activities, the Nobel Prize organisations work closely with exclusively selected corporate partners, foundations and organisations that share our values. Together these spread knowledge about the Nobel Prize, encourage creativity and stimulate interest in science, literature and peace.
Partnerships
Learn about the Nobel Prize Museum’s partnerships
Learn about the Nobel Peace Center’s partnerships
Nobel International Partners
Nobel Prize Outreach extends the reach of the Nobel Prize to millions of people around the world through inspirational events, digital media and special exhibitions and activities related to the legacy of Alfred Nobel and the achievements of the Nobel Prize laureates. A select group of Nobel International Partners collaborate with Nobel Prize Outreach over several years to bring light to important global issues, like the future of scientific education and sustainability.
ABB is a leading global technology company that energises the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 110,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. Visit ABB’s website
EQT is a purpose-driven investment organisation focused on active ownership strategies. With a Nordic heritage and a global mindset, EQT has a track record of almost three decades of delivering consistent and attractive returns across multiple geographies, sectors and strategies.
With its roots in the Wallenberg family’s entrepreneurial mindset and philosophy of long-term ownership, EQT’s investment strategies cover all phases of a business’ development, from start-up to maturity. Visit EQT’s website
Stegra is on a mission to accelerate the decarbonization of heavy industries, starting with steel. By using green hydrogen instead of coal in the steel-making process, CO₂ emissions are reduced with up to 95% compared to traditional steelmaking. By 2030, Stegra will produce 5 million tonnes of green steel annually in a fully integrated, digitalized, and sustainable plant in Boden, northern Sweden.
Stegra is building an impact company with sustainability at its core – for their people, customers, investors, and planet. Visit Stegra’s website
Scania has a strong focus on research and development and is at the forefront in developing efficient and smart transport solutions and innovations.
More than 3,500 researchers are working in the very forefront when it comes to future key areas as alternative fuels, connectivity, automation and electrification. The aim is to maintain and continue to develop a broad competence, ensuring that Scania retains its leading position within the automotive industry. Visit Scania’s website
Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative
This is a global programme designed for Nobel Prize laureates to share their inspirational stories and insights. By taking Nobel Prize laureates on visits to universities and research centres around the world, and by capturing their thoughts on video, the initiative seeks to bring the laureates into closer contact with the global scientific community, especially young scientists.
Main partner
Nobel Week Dialogue
This free to attend, full day seminar seeks to bring together a unique constellation of Nobel Prize laureates, world-leading scientists, policy makers and thought leaders and the interested public to discuss global issues that concern us all. To engage a worldwide audience, the forum is made accessible via live-streaming.
Main partners
Official Car of the Nobel Week
Nobel Prize Concert
The annual Nobel Prize Concert is a project within the framework of Nobel Prize Outreach’s activities and a collaborative endeavor with the Stockholm Concert Hall and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. It is an international concert event of the highest quality for the Nobel Prize laureates and other guests.
Production and distribution partners
J.P. Morgan
Development of applications for data visualisation within their initiative “Force for Good”.
Microsoft
Provides technology that create ways for people to engage in digital experiences related to the laureates and their achievements.
NRK
Broadcaster of the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony.
SVT
Producer and broadcaster of the Nobel Prize award ceremony in Stockholm and the Nobel Prize banquet. Co-producer of Nobel Minds.
Monthly Quiz
Quiz answers
Monthly December 2024
Quiz question
The Nobel Prize amount
On 27 November 1895, a year before his death, Alfred Nobel signed the famous will which would implement some of the goals to which he had devoted so much of his life. Nobel stipulated in his will that most of his estate, more than SEK 31 million (today approximately SEK 2.2 billion) should be converted into a fund and invested in “safe securities.” The income from the investments was to be “distributed annually in the form of prizes to those who during the preceding year have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.”
In 1901, the Nobel Prize amount was 150,782 SEK per unshared prize. Do you know the prize amount for 2024? 2 million Swedish kronor (SEK), 6 million Swedish kronor (SEK) or 11 million Swedish kronor (SEK)?
Quiz answer
The right answer is 11 million Swedish kronor (SEK) per prize category.
Monthly November 2024
Quiz question
Nobel Prize in Physics 2024 – awarded jointly to John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton
This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics rewards inventions linked to … what? Exoplanets, attoseconds or artificial intelligence (AI)?
Quiz answer
The right answer is Artificial intelligence (AI). Read more: They used physics to find patterns in information
See all 2024 Nobel Prizes here
Monthly October 2024
Quiz question
The secrecy rule
Each year, thousands of members of academies, university professors, scientists, previous Nobel Prize laureates, members of parliamentary assemblies and more are asked to submit candidates for the Nobel Prizes for the coming year. Access to information about a given year’s candidates and/or nominators is not given until quite a few years have passed, according to the secrecy rule. Do you know how many years? 25, 50 or 75 years?
Quiz answer
The right answer is 50 years. According to the Statutes of the Nobel Foundation, the prize awarding institutions can never confirm, or deny, whether someone has been nominated for the Nobel Prize until the full list of nominations is made public after 50 years.
Monthly September 2024
Quiz question
Nominated but never awarded
A well-known leader and pacifist was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize several times, but was never awarded. Who was it? Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi or Dalai Lama?
Quiz answer
The right answer is Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi was nominated in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and, finally, a few days before he was murdered in January 1948. Read more here: Mahatma Gandhi, the missing laureate. Nelson Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and Dalai Lama in 1989.
Monthly August 2024
Quiz question
Nobel names in the periodic table
Do you know how many elements bear the names of Nobel Prize laureates? 4, 8 or 18?
Quiz answer
The right answer is 8. There are eight elements named after Nobel Prize laureates:
Curium, 96, named after Marie and Pierre Curie, Nobel Prize in Physics 1903
Einsteinium, 99, named after Albert Einstein, Nobel Prize in Physics 1921
Fermium, 100, named after Enrico Fermi, Nobel Prize in Physics 1938
Lawrencium, 103, named after Ernest Lawrence, Nobel Prize in Physics 1939
Rutherfordium, 104, named after Ernest Rutherford, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1908
Seaborgium, 106, named after Glenn T. Seaborg, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1951
Bohrium, 107, named after Niels Bohr, Nobel Prize in Physics 1922
Röntgenium, 111, named after Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, Nobel Prize in Physics 1901
Monthly July 2024
Quiz question
Most visited Nobel Prize laureate
Since 1901, the Nobel Prizes and the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel have been awarded 621 times to 1,000 people and organisations – scientists, authors as well as peace workers. All of the laureates can be found at nobelprize.org. Do you know which laureate was the most visited on nobelprize.org in 2023? Albert Einstein, Marie Curie or Martin Luther King Jr?
Quiz answer
The right answer is Martin Luther King Jr. Albert Einstein is the second most viewed and Marie Curie comes in third.
Monthly June 2024
Quiz question
A young Nobel Prize laureate
Lawrence Bragg, who was awarded the 1915 physics prize together with his father, is the youngest Nobel Prize laureate in the scientific prize categories. How old was he when he was awarded the prize? 25 years, 30 years or 35 years?
Quiz answer
The right answer is 25 years. Read more about Lawrence Bragg
Monthly May 2024
Quiz question
Multiple recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize
The peace prize has been awarded to an organisation 30 times since 1901, but no recipient has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize as many times as the International Committee of the Red Cross. They first received the prize in 1917 during World War I, then in 1944 during World War II and finally in 1963. Only one other organisation has been awarded the peace prize more than once. Do you know which one? Doctors Without Borders, UNHCR, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees or United Nations Peacekeeping Forces?
Quiz answer
The right answer is UNHCR, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. UNHCR has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize twice, in 1954 and 1981, for its work in providing help and protection to refugees all over the world. See the list of all Nobel Peace Prize awarded organisations
Monthly April 2024
Quiz question
It takes time to become a Nobel Prize laureate
Since 1901, 965 people have been awarded the Nobel Prize or prize in economic sciences. Can you guess their average age? 50 years, 60 years or 70 years?
Quiz answer
The right answer is 60 years. See the list of all Nobel Prize laureates sorted by age.
Monthly March 2024
Quiz question
The first woman
Eleven laureates – seven men and four women – were awarded a Nobel Prize in 2023. Do you know who was the very first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize? Bertha von Suttner, Marie Skłodowska Curie or Gerty Cori?
Quiz answer
The right answer is Marie Skłodowska Curie. She was awarded the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics. In 1911 she became the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Today she is still the only person that has been awarded two Nobel Prizes in two scientific categories. In 1905, Bertha von Suttner was the first woman awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and in 1947 Gerty Cori was the first woman awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Monthly February 2024
Quiz question
X-rays – an unexpected phenomena
The 1924 physics laureate Manne Siegbahn was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discoveries and research in the field of X-ray spectroscopy. Many Nobel Prize laureates have been awarded prizes for work related to X-ray technology. Do you know who discovered X-rays? Henri Becquerel, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin or Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen?
Quiz answer
The right answer is Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen.
Read more about Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, the first Nobel Prize laureate in Physics.
Monthly January 2024
Quiz question
Experiments with light capture the shortest of moments
The 2023 Nobel Prize laureates in physics have made it possible to explore the details of what happens inside of atoms and molecules with the help of extremely short pulses of light. These pulses last only on the order of an attosecond. How long is an attosecond? A thousandth of a thousandth of a second, a millionth of a millionth of a second or a billionth of a billionth of a second?
Quiz answer
The right answer is a billionth of a billionth of a second.
Read more about the 2023 physics prize here
Monthly December 2023
Quiz question
Alfred Nobel – the great donor
Alfred Nobel established the Nobel Prizes “for the greatest benefit to humankind”, and since 1901, the prizes have been presented to the laureates at ceremonies on 10 December. But what is so special about that day? Alfred Nobel was born on 10 December, Alfred Nobel signed his last will on 10 December or Alfred Nobel passed away on 10 December?
Quiz answer
The right answer is Alfred Nobel passed away on 10 December.
Read more about Alfred Nobel here
Monthly November 2023
Quiz question
They planted an important seed for nanotechnology
This year’s Nobel Prize laureates in chemistry, Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus and Aleksey Yekimov, have succeeded in creating extremely small nanoparticles whose size determines their properties. What are these small particles called? Liquid crystals, quantum dots or quantum lights?
Quiz answer
The right answer is quantum dots.
Read more about the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry here
Monthly October 2023
Quiz question
One Nobel Prize is not awarded in Sweden
All but one of the Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded elsewhere. Do you know where? In Copenhagen, Denmark. in Helsinki, Finland or in Oslo, Norway?
Quiz answer
The right answer is Oslo, Norway. During Alfred Nobel’s lifetime Sweden and Norway were joined in a union but we still don’t know exactly why Alfred Nobel chose for the peace prize to be awarded in Norway. However, as the prize committee is located in Oslo, it follows that the prize is also awarded there.
Monthly September 2023
Quiz question
A prize for the youngest
The following organisations work to help children, and one has even been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its work. Which one? Save the Children, SOS Children’s Villages or United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)?
Quiz answer
The right answer is United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The organisation was awarded the 1965 Nobel Peace Prize.
Monthly August 2023
Quiz question
A thorough education by private teachers
Alfred Nobel’s father Immanuel invested in the education of his children. The four brothers were privately tutored at their home in St Petersburg in Russia, where the Nobel family lived from 1842 to 1863. The children were provided with a broad knowledge-base which included being taught a number of languages. Do you know in how many languages Alfred Nobel was fluent? 2, 5 or 10?
Quiz answer
The right answer is 5. Alfred Nobel learned five languages fluently – aside from his native Swedish he also spoke Russian, English, French, and German.
Read more in the article Alfred Nobel – St. Petersburg, 1842-1863
Monthly July 2023
Quiz question
The scent of smell
Our perception of the world is based on how our brain receives and processes various messages, including our sense of smell. Approximately how many different odours can the human nose distinguish? 10,000 odours, 1 billion odours or 1 trillion odours?
Quiz answer
The right answer is 1 trillion odours. At the time Richard Axel and Linda Buck carried out their research, scientists thought the human nose could detect approximately 10,000 odours but later studies showed we could detect many, many more. Read more about the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2004.
Monthly June 2023
Quiz question
Awarded inventions
In earlier years, inventions were often recognised with Nobel Prizes. Do you know which one of these inventions was awarded the Nobel Prize? The light bulb. the transistor or the pacemaker?
Quiz answer
The right answer is the transistor. In 1956 William Bradford Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for the invention of the transistor.
Monthly May 2023
Quiz question
She created a literary non-fiction genre
During the years, Nobel Prize awarded authors have been awarded for their novels, short stories, poems and drama. One laureate, who is a journalist, moves in the boundary between reporting and fiction. She uses interviews to create a collage of a wide range of voices and thereby creates a literary non-fiction genre that is entirely her own: documentary novels. Who is the author?
Quiz answer
The right answer is Svetlana Alexievich. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 2015 with the motivation “for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time”.
Herta Müller was awarded the 2009 literature prize with the motivation “who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed”. Doris Lessing was awarded the 2007 with the motivation “that epicist of the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny”.
Monthly April 2023
Quiz question
The sixth prize
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel is awarded according to the same principles governing the Nobel Prizes. Do you know when the first prize in economic sciences was awarded? In 1959, 1969 or 1979?
Quiz answer
The right answer is 1969.
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel was established in 1968. It is a memorial prize, based on a donation received by the Nobel Foundation from Sweden’s central bank on the occasion of the bank’s 300th anniversary. The first prize in economic sciences was awarded to Ragnar Frisch and Jan Tinbergen in 1969.
More about the prize in economic sciences
Monthly March 2023
Quiz question
Nobel Prize awarded discoveries
She discovered a novel therapy against malaria
A number of serious infectious diseases are caused by parasites spread by insects. Malaria is caused by a single-cell parasite that causes severe fever. In the 1960s and 70s a female researcher discovered artemisinin, an anti-malarial, and also tested the new drug on herself to speed up the time needed for development. This drug has saved the lives of millions of people worldwide. Do you know who the researcher was?
Barbara McClintock, Gertrude Elion or Tu Youyou?
Quiz answer
The right answer is Tu Youyou. She was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against Malaria”. Barbara McClintock was awarded the 1983 medicine prize “for her discovery of mobile genetic elements” and Gertrude Elion was awarded the 1988 medicine prize for “discoveries of important principles for drug treatment”.
Do you want to match more laureates with their discoveries? Try this game!
Monthly February 2023
Quiz question
Multiple chemistry laureate
In December 2022, K. Barry Sharpless was awarded his second Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He was awarded the first one in 2001 and is the second person to be awarded two chemistry prizes since the first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901. Do you know who the other laureate is?
Marie Curie, Ernest Rutherford or Frederick Sanger?
Quiz answer
The right answer is Frederick Sanger. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1958 and in 1980. Marie Curie was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 1903 and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1911. Ernest Rutherford was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry one time only, in 1908.
Monthly January 2023
Quiz question
Shared prizes
Since 1901, a total of 615 Nobel Prizes have been awarded, including the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. A Nobel Prize can be shared by up to three individuals, or in the case of the peace prize, it can also be awarded to an organisation. Do you know what has been most common – a prize shared by two or three laureates or a prize to one laureate only?
A prize to one laureate only or
A prize shared by two laureates or
A prize shared by three laureates?
Quiz answer
The right answer is a prize to one laureate only.
Number of prizes with only one laureate: 355
Number of prizes with two laureates: 146
Number of prizes with three laureates: 114
Crash course – 2024 Nobel Prizes
How much do you know about the discoveries awarded the 2024 Nobel Prizes? Take our one-minute crash course on each of the prizes and find out how each have changed our world.
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Proteins and their structures
How can AI help build proteins?
Using computing and AI, researchers have helped to solve the mystery of protein structures.
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
What does microRNA do?
Have you heard of microRNA?
This tiny molecule plays a crucial role in protein production in our cells.
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature
The works of Han Kang
Do you know the South Korean author Han Kang?
Her works confront historical traumas, unspoken rules and portray human vulnerability.
The 2024 Nobel Peace Prize
The fight against nuclear weapons
In 1945, the US dropped atomic bombs over the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Survivors now work to make sure nobody else will suffer the same way again.
The 2024 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel
Rich and poor countries
Why are some countries rich and others poor?
The research awarded the 2024 economic sciences prize gives us an idea why.
The Nobel Prize Banquet Menu 2024 in the chefs’ own words
The Nobel Prize Banquet Menu 2024 is composed by chef Jessie Sommarström and pastry chef Frida Bäcke. You can find the menu here. In this article the chefs tell the story behind each course.
Starter
1 (of 2) Nobel Prize Banquet menu 2024: The starter.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
2 (of 2) Chef Jessie Sommarström in the making of this year’s banquet starter.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
“The ingredients are carefully picked out, with the ambition to highlight quality and seasonal taste. By choosing ingredients from smaller Swedish producers, we want to tell a story about craftsmanship, tradition and quality,” says Jessie Sommarström.
Main course
1 (of 5) Nobel Prize Banquet menu 2024: The main course.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
2 (of 5) Chef Jessie Sommarström in the making of the main course.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
3 (of 5) Nobel Prize Banquet menu 2024: The main course.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
4 (of 5) Chef Jessie Sommarström in the making of the side dish of the main course.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
5 (of 5) The main course of the 2024 Nobel Prize Banquet menu is served with a modern cultural creamed steel-cut barley with wild and cultivated mushrooms, Jerusalem artichoke and roasted chicken jus with Pomme de Vie.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
“I want to emphasize that chicken is a food best reserved for special occasions and something we should eat less frequently. At the same time, it’s crucial that we choose poultry from producers who prioritize animal welfare and allow the birds to express their natural behaviors. In this dish, I have combined chicken with legumes that are both delicious and nutritious, which also helps reduce the dish’s climate footprint. The side dish is based on whole grains, something almost everyone needs to eat more of to stay healthy. Together, they create a delightful and balanced meal that is as tasty as it is nourishing,” says Jessie Sommarström.
Dessert
1 (of 7) Nobel Prize Banquet menu 2024: The dessert.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
2 (of 7) Nobel Prize Banquet menu 2024: The dessert
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
3 (of 7) Nobel Prize Banquet menu 2024: The dessert.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
4 (of 7) Pastry chef Frida Bäcke has used a variety of Swedish apples for her Nobel Prize Banquet dessert.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
5 (of 7) Frida is fittingly the name of one of the apple varieties chosen by pastry chef Frida Bäcke for the 2024 banquet dessert.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
6 (of 7) Frida is fittingly the name of one of the apple varieties chosen by pastry chef Frida Bäcke for the 2024 banquet dessert.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
7 (of 7) Nobel Prize Banquet menu 2024: The dessert.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
“I chose apples as the base for my dessert for many reasons, but the main focus is to celebrate one of the few Swedish natural ingredients that are seasonal all over the country. I have also added pineappleweed which is a playful way of highlighting ingredients that you can find in your surroundings. The dessert has a clean and simple aesthetic,” says Frida Bäcke.
Read an article about this year’s banquet chefs
The Nobel Prize Banquet menu 2024
Opening address – 2024
Speech by Professor Astrid Söderbergh Widding, Chair of the Board of the Nobel Foundation, 10 December 2024.
Your Majesties,
Your Royal Highnesses,
Esteemed Nobel Prize Laureates,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the Nobel Foundation, it is my great honour and pleasure to welcome you all to the 2024 Nobel Prize award ceremony. In particular, I wish to welcome the Nobel Prize laureates, their families and friends.
Today in Oslo, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, also known as Hibakusha, “for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again”. This Japanese grassroot movement, survivors of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, has for almost 80 years argued the necessity of an international nuclear taboo. During decades, nuclear arms were considered the main threat to humankind, but in spite of these witnesses reminding us, and because of trust in arms treaties and international developments, this almost fell into oblivion. Today, as nuclear threats are being expressed anew in connection with wars and conflicts involving nuclear powers, the Nobel Peace Prize takes on an existential dimension. Earlier this year, a number of Nobel Prize laureates signed the Mainau declaration 2024 on nuclear weapons, urging all nations to protect human civilization by ensuring that nuclear arms never be used again. The atomic bomb also recalls that basic research put into practice is not only for good.
Still, however, it is through free, fundamental research that science must continue to explore and expand the frontiers of human knowledge, laying the foundation for future applications and development. The scientific breakthroughs awarded this year in science and medicine – the physics prize for using dynamical systems to understand mechanisms of memory and laying the foundations for artificial intelligence, the chemistry prize for using the latter for predicting protein structures, and for computational design of proteins, and the prize in physiology or medicine for the discovery of an essential complimentary process for how identical genetic information leads to different cells – have already led to groundbreaking applications for the greatest benefit of humankind. The unimaginable consequences that genetic technologies and artificial intelligence may perhaps introduce can only be managed in trustful, rule-based international collaboration.
The literature prize this year, awarded to a profound exploration of human vulnerability against the backdrop of historical trauma, where the abyss is always as close as is the longing for transformation, sheds light upon the fragile condition of humankind.
And finally, the prize in economic sciences, for quantitatively assessing the importance of a country’s institutions for its prosperity, can be considered in the present context of ongoing autocratisation, with faltering democracies.
Facing a number of interconnected challenges, including climate change and geopolitical tensions, we indeed live in times of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. The insightful testament of Alfred Nobel, which has gathered us here, is still of highest relevance. The scientific prizes award fundamental research. Still, all the awards, in their diversity, also address the global challenges of today. The laureates have paved the way. Science, literature and peace offer different paths to tackle today’s wicked problems. But they all remind us that it is not blind destiny that decides on our future as humanity. This also offers hope. It lies in our hands to change the world.
Copyright © The Nobel Foundation 2024
Folkhälsa och svenska råvaror i fokus på 2024 års Nobelmeny
2024 års Nobelmeny står med fötterna djupt i den svenska myllan. Kocken Jessie Sommarström och konditorn Frida Bäcke lyfter fram säsongsbetonade råvaror som betor och svenska äpplen – och överraskar med en lyxig variant av en viss frukostfavorit.
Jessie Sommarström spricker upp i ett leende, samtidigt som hon med stora rörelser för runt sleven i grytan.
– Titta vad lycklig jag blir när jag får laga gröt, säger hon och skrattar.
Den något oväntade sidorätten – en modern kulturgröt på klippt korn – är en del av årets Nobelmeny, där kocken Jessie Sommarström ansvarar för förrätt och huvudrätt. Genom valet av gröt vill Jessie Sommarström belysa det faktum att vi äter alldeles för lite fullkorn, vilket är en stor orsak till ohälsa.
Den tv-sända Nobelbanketten äger traditionsenligt rum i Stadshuset den 10 december, som ett tillfälle att hylla årets Nobelpristagare. 1 300 gäster tar plats i Blå hallen och intar förrätt, huvudrätt och dessert komponerade av en särskilt utvald kock och konditor. Utöver att menyn bör andas Skandinavien finns stort utrymme för de gastronomiskt ansvariga att sätta sin personliga prägel.
Som flerfaldigt prisbelönad stjärnkock arbetade Jessie Sommarström på topprestauranger, innan hon bytte inriktning för att i stället utveckla maten i den offentliga sektorn. Numera ligger hennes fokus på hur måltider som lagas för miljontals människor kan vara såväl hälsosamma och hållbara som goda.
Engagerad för folkhälsa
Under uppväxten med en ensamstående mamma blev Jessie Sommarström tidigt medveten om utmaningarna med att få till vettiga måltider till rimliga priser. När hon själv blev mamma växte intresset för matens betydelse för folkhälsan, något hon beskriver som en av vår tids ödesfrågor. Frågan om folkhälsa är nära förknippad med hennes engagemang för klimatet.
“Jag vill visa att det går att laga god mat med ansvar.”
Jessie Sommarström
– Som kock vill jag visa att det går att laga god mat med ansvar. Jag vill inspirera människor att göra bättre matval, som kan bidra till förändring och lägga grunden för en hållbar framtid, säger hon.
Att välja råvaror med omsorg är viktigt för Jessie Sommarström, som menar att allt börjar hos producenterna. Hållbarhet och kreativitet är ledord för årets Nobelmeny, som blir hennes första.
– Jag är jättenervös såklart, det är en stor middag med mångas ögon på sig. Men det känns fantastiskt och ärofyllt, säger hon.
Jessie Sommarström
Fakta
- Ålder: 45 år
- Yrke: Gastronomisk chef på Sodexo
- Karriär: Årets kock 2022. Gastronomiska Akademiens guldmedalj och Årets kvinna i besöksnäringen, 2023. Hedersdoktor vid den samhällsvetenskapliga fakulteten på Umeå universitet, 2024. Har arbetat på restauranger som Sturehof och Esperanto.
Vill värna om kunskapen om naturen
Frida – så heter passande nog en av äppelsorterna som konditorn Frida Bäcke har valt till årets Nobeldessert. Frida Bäcke är Jessie Sommarströms parhäst, vilket innebär att årets Nobelmeny blir den första någonsin som komponeras av två kvinnor.
Frida Bäcke har arbetat på flera stjärnkrogar och varit en del av det Svenska Kocklandslaget. Numera driver hon ett prisbelönat konditori i centrala Stockholm, där vi möter henne. Frågan om att skapa årets Nobeldessert gjorde henne mållös, säger hon.
– Det är något jag tänkt på, men aldrig trott jag skulle få. Nobelbanketten är en så stor och fin middag som betyder mycket för många, och det känns speciellt att få uppdraget, säger Frida Bäcke.
“Jag vill slå ett slag för att ta vara på naturens resurser.”
Frida Bäcke
Att äpple är huvudingrediens i desserten har flera orsaker. Äpple är en av få svenska råvaror som är i säsong året runt över hela landet, och finns i många varianter. Genom valet av äpple vill Frida Bäcke också lyfta fram vikten av att använda det som finns runt omkring oss. För Frida, som växte upp i Dalarna med skogen runt knuten, var närheten till naturen en självklarhet.
– När jag flyttade till Stockholm saknade jag att bara kunna gå ut och plocka bär eller svamp. Jag är rädd att den erfarenheten och kunskapen blir svagare bland den yngre generationen. Med råvarorna i min Nobeldessert vill jag slå ett slag för att ta vara på naturens resurser, säger Frida Bäcke.
Hon beskriver desserten som “lite annorlunda” och präglad av hennes estetik: stilren och enkel.
Hämtar lugn i träningen
Till de runt 60 borden i Blå hallen används cirka 800 meter linneduk. Under kvällen arbetar totalt ett 40-tal kockar och 190 servitörer och servitriser. Inför att Nobeldagen närmar sig ökar nervositeten, berättar Frida Bäcke, som dock hämtar lugn i puls- och styrketräning.
Att få göra Nobelmenyn ihop med Jessie Sommarström känns tryggt, säger Frida Bäcke.
– Jessie är något av en idol för mig. Jag ser mycket upp till hennes driv i att vilja skapa en förändring och i hur hon använder sin expertis som kock till något större. Hon tar kampen för det som är viktigt och jag är väldigt glad över att få göra den här middagen ihop med henne, säger hon.
Jessie Sommarström och Frida Bäcke har haft vissa uppdrag ihop tidigare, och har kommit varandra nära under arbetet med Nobelmiddagen.
– Frida Bäcke är en av Sveriges mest framstående konditorer. Hon är en mästare i sitt hantverk, prestigelös och alltid generös med sin kunskap. Att få skapa Nobelmiddagen tillsammans med henne känns både tryggt och inspirerande, säger Jessie Sommarström.
Frida Bäcke
Fakta
- Ålder: 36 år
- Yrke: Konditor på egna konditoriet Socker Sucker
- Karriär: Frida har arbetat som chefskonditor på restauranger som Frantzén och AIRA. Under fem år har hon även varit en del av det svenska Kocklandslaget och tävlat i VM och OS. Tre år i rad har Frida Bäcke utsetts till Konditorernas Konditor. I dag driver hon konditoriet Socker Sucker i Stockholm som utsetts till konditoriernas konditori två år i rad.
Sveriges Television direktsänder Nobelbanketten den 10 december. Nobelmenyn presenteras i sin helhet här på nobelprize.org klockan 19.00 den 10 december. Här kan du hitta samtliga menyer från alla Nobelbanketter genom tiderna.
Public health and Swedish ingredients in focus
The 2024 Nobel Prize banquet menu stands with its feet firmly planted in the Swedish soil. Chef Jessie Sommarström and pastry chef Frida Bäcke highlight seasonal ingredients such as beets and apples – and surprise with a luxurious version of a breakfast favourite.
Jessie Sommarström breaks into a smile while moving the ladle around the pot with large gestures.
“Look how happy I get when I cook porridge,” she says, laughing.
This somewhat unexpected side dish – a modern cultural creamed steel-cut barley – is part of this year’s Nobel Prize banquet menu, in which Sommarström is responsible for the appetizer and main course. Through the choice of her side dish, Sommarström wants to highlight the fact that we eat far too few whole grains, a major cause of poor health.
The Nobel Prize banquet takes place in Stockholm City Hall on 10 December every year and is broadcast live on Swedish Television. The event is an opportunity to celebrate this year’s Nobel Prize laureates. More than 1,000 guests can be seated in the Blue Hall during the three-course dinner composed by a selected chef and pastry chef. While the menu is a chance to celebrate Scandinavian cuisine, there is ample space for those responsible for the gastronomy to leave their personal mark.
As a multiple award-winning star chef, Sommarström worked at top restaurants before shifting focus to develop food in the public sector. Now, her mission is to show how meals prepared for millions of people can be both healthy, sustainable, and delicious.
Engaged in public health
Growing up with a single mother, Sommarström became aware early on of the challenges of providing good meals at reasonable prices. When she herself became a mother, her interest in the role of food in public health grew, something she describes as one of the defining issues of our time. The issue of public health is closely linked to her commitment to the climate.
“I want to inspire people to make better food choices.”
Jessie Sommarström
“As a chef, I want to show that it is possible to cook good food responsibly. I want to inspire people to make better food choices, which can contribute to change and lay the foundation for a sustainable future,” she says.
Choosing ingredients carefully is important to Sommarström, who believes that it all starts with the producers. Sustainability and creativity are key themes for this year’s Nobel Prize banquet menu, which will be her first.
“I’m really nervous, of course, it’s a big dinner with many eyes on you. But it feels fantastic and it’s an honour,” she says.
Jessie Sommarström
Quick facts
- Age: 45
- Profession: Gastronomic manager, Sodexo
- Career: Chef of the year, 2022. Gastronomic Academy Gold Medal and Woman of the year in tourism industry, 2023. Honorary doctor at the social science faculty, Umeå University, 2024. Worked at restaurants such as Sturehof and Esperanto.
Wants to protect knowledge of nature
Frida is fittingly the name of one of the apple varieties chosen by pastry chef Frida Bäcke for this year’s banquet dessert. Bäcke completes the team alongside Sommarström, making this year’s Nobel Prize banquet menu the first ever composed by two women.
Bäcke has worked at several Michelin-starred restaurants and has been part of the Swedish Culinary Team, that represents Sweden in international culinary competitions. Now, she runs an award-winning patisserie in central Stockholm. Being asked to create this year’s dessert left her speechless, she says.
“It’s something I’ve thought about, but never believed I would get the chance. The Nobel Prize banquet is such a big and beautiful dinner that means a lot to many, and it feels special to get this assignment,” says Bäcke.
“I want to advocate for making use of nature’s resources.”
Frida Bäcke
There are several reasons why apple is the main ingredient in the dessert. Apple is one of the few Swedish ingredients that are in season year-round across the country, as well as being available in many varieties. Through the choice of apple, Bäcke also wants to highlight the importance of using what is around us. For Bäcke, who grew up in Dalarna with the forest just outside the door, proximity to nature is important.
“When I moved to Stockholm, I missed being able to just go outside and pick berries or mushrooms. I’m afraid that experience and knowledge is fading among the younger generation. With the ingredients in my dessert, I want to advocate for making use of nature’s resources,” says Bäcke.
She describes the dessert as “a little different” and characterised by her aesthetic: sleek and simple.
Finds calm in exercising
For the 60 banquet tables in the Blue Hall, about 800 meters of linen tablecloth are used. During the evening, a total of 40 chefs and 190 waiters and waitresses will cater to the guests. As the day of the banquet approaches, the nervousness grows, says Bäcke, who finds calm in exercising.
To be doing the Nobel Prize banquet together with Jessie Sommarström feels safe, says Bäcke.
“Jessie is somewhat of an idol for me. I really admire her drive to create change and how she uses her expertise as a chef for something bigger. She fights for what’s important, and I’m very happy to be making this dinner with her,” says Bäcke.
Sommarström and Bäcke have worked together before and have grown close while collaborating on the Nobel Prize banquet menu.
“Frida Bäcke is one of Sweden’s most prominent pastry chefs. She’s a master of her craft, humble, and always generous with her knowledge. To be creating the Nobel Prize banquet menu together with her feels both safe and inspiring,” says Sommarström.
Frida Bäcke
Quick facts
- Age: 36
- Profession: Pastry chef at her own pastry shop Socker Sucker
- Career: Frida has worked as head pastry chef at restaurants such as Frantzén and AIRA. For five years, she was a part of the Swedish Culinary team, competing in the World Cup and the Olympics. For three years in a row, Frida Bäcke has been named “Pastry chef of all pastry chefs”. Today she runs the pastry shop Socker Sucker in Stockholm, named “pastry shop of all pastry shops” for two years in a row.
The Nobel Prize banquet menu will be unveiled here at nobelprize.org on 10 December at 19:00 CET. Click here to find all menus from previous Nobel Prize banquets.
Nobel Prize Banquet Menu 2024
MENU
Fromage de chèvre d’Östergötland fourré de livèche.
Servi avec des betteraves suédoises, du miel et une glaçure de coings,
parsemés de graines de citrouille grillées.
Quenelle de poulet, légumineuses suédoises et truffe d’automne du Gotland.
Céleri-rave glacé avec miso de fèves suédoises
et bouquet de chou au parfum d’herbes et de pomme.
Servi avec un gruau culturel moderne d’orge épointée,
de champignons sauvages et de culture,
du topinambour et un jus de poulet rôti aromatisé de Pomme de Vie.
Variation de pommes suédoises. Terrine aux pommes Frida caramélisées.
Quatre-quarts de souchet rissolé aromatisé aux pousses d’épinette.
Crème de coings et pommes émincées à la camomille.
Servies avec une glace à la matricaire et au punch suédois.
VINS
Longitude Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Extra Brut,
Larmandier-Bernier, Champagne, France
2019 Barolo, Giacomo Fenocchio, Piemonte, Italie
2022 Bute Mousserande Iscider, Umeå, Suède
Stadshusrestauranger en collaboration avec
le Chef Jessie Sommarström ainsi que le Chef Pâtissier Frida Bäcke
Translation (English)
Goat cheese from Östergötland filled with lovage.
Served with Swedish beets, honey and quince glaze,
along with roasted pumpkin seeds.
Quenelle of chicken, Swedish legumes and autumn truffle from Gotland.
Celeriac glazed with miso on Swedish broad beans
and a cabbage bouquet with taste of herbs and apple.
Served with a modern cultural creamed steel-cut barley
with wild and cultivated mushrooms,
Jerusalem artichoke and roasted chicken jus with Pomme de Vie.
Variation on Swedish apples. Terrine made from caramelised Frida apples.
Brown butter cake made from tiger nuts flavoured with spruce shoots.
Cream of quince fruit and thinly sliced apples with chamomile.
Served with ice cream made with pineapple weed and punsch liqueur.
WINES
Longitude Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Extra Brut,
Larmandier-Bernier, Champagne, France
2019 Barolo, Giacomo Fenocchio, Piemonte, Italy
2022 Bute Mousserande Iscider, Umeå, Sweden
Stadshusrestauranger in collaboration with
Chef Jessie Sommarström as well as Pastry Chef Frida Bäcke
Translation (Swedish)
Getost från Östergötland fylld med libbsticka.
Serveras med svenska betor, honung och rosenkvitten samt rostade pumpakärnor.
Quenell på kyckling, svenska baljväxter och hösttryffel från Gotland.
Rotselleri glaserad med miso på svenska bondbönor och kålbukett
med smak av örter och äpple.
Serveras med en modern kulturgröt på klippt korn, vild och odlad svamp,
jordärtskocka samt en rostad kycklingsky med Pomme de Vie.
Variation på svenska äpplen. Terrine på karamelliserade Fridaäpplen.
Brynt smörkaka på jordmandel smaksatt med granskott.
Kräm på rosenkvitten samt tunt skivade äpplen med kamomill.
Serveras med en glass på gatkamomill och punsch.
1 (of 14) Nobel Prize Banquet menu 2024: The starter.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
2 (of 14) Chef Jessie Sommarström in the making of this year’s banquet starter.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
3 (of 14) Nobel Prize Banquet menu 2024: The main course.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
4 (of 14) Chef Jessie Sommarström in the making of the main course.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
5 (of 14) Nobel Prize Banquet menu 2024: The main course.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
6 (of 14) Chef Jessie Sommarström in the making of the side dish of the main course.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
7 (of 14) The main course of the 2024 Nobel Prize Banquet menu is served with a modern cultural creamed steel-cut barley with wild and cultivated mushrooms, Jerusalem artichoke and roasted chicken jus with Pomme de Vie.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
8 (of 14) Nobel Prize Banquet menu 2024: The dessert.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
9 (of 14) Nobel Prize Banquet menu 2024: The dessert
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
10 (of 14) Nobel Prize Banquet menu 2024: The dessert.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
11 (of 14) Nobel Prize Banquet menu 2024: The dessert.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
12 (of 14) Pastry chef Frida Bäcke has used a variety of Swedish apples for her Nobel Prize Banquet dessert.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
13 (of 14) Frida is fittingly the name of one of the apple varieties chosen by pastry chef Frida Bäcke for the 2024 banquet dessert.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
14 (of 14) Frida is fittingly the name of one of the apple varieties chosen by pastry chef Frida Bäcke for the 2024 banquet dessert.
© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Dan Lepp
Copyright © The Nobel Foundation 2024
Q & A: Nobel Prize award ceremony and banquet 2024
Questions and answers about the Nobel Prize award ceremony and banquet in Stockholm on 10 December 2024.
Who has been invited from the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament) and government to the Nobel Prize award ceremony and banquet?
The entire Swedish government has been invited to the Nobel Prize award ceremony at Konserthuset (Stockholm Concert Hall). Among those Swedish officials invited to both the award ceremony and the banquet are the speaker of Parliament, the prime minister, the minister for foreign affairs, the minister for culture, the minister for finance and the minister for education, as well as the chairperson of the General Council of the Riksbank (Swedish central bank). The party leaders of all parties that are represented in the Riksdag have also been invited to both the award ceremony and the banquet.
Have all party leaders said they will attend?
The Nobel Foundation usually tells which official representatives have been invited but does not comment on which individuals accept or decline the invitation.
Will the prime minister be coming?
On 9 December, the seating of banquet guests at the table of honour will be published. It will show which members of the Swedish government are attending.
How many guests may the Nobel Prize laureates bring?
Each laureate may bring a significant other and a party of 14 more people, for a total of 16 people.
Who will be present from the Swedish Royal Court?
This year the King, the Queen, the Crown Princess, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine and Christopher O’Neill will attend.
Which representatives from the diplomatic corps have been invited?
This year, the Nobel Foundation’s Board of Directors has decided that the diplomatic corps will be represented by its doyen, in other words the ambassador who has been in Sweden the longest and who, according to protocol, will represent the entire diplomatic corps. In addition, the ambassadors representing the countries of the laureates and Norway’s ambassador will be invited to both the Nobel Prize award ceremony and the banquet.
This means that in 2024 the ambassador of Hungary, who has been in Sweden the longest, is being invited. In addition, Canada, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan and Norway are being invited.
Have media representatives been invited to the Nobel Prize award ceremony and banquet?
Yes, about 25 Swedish and international journalists will be attending, as well as about ten photographers from news agencies.
Who else has been invited?
Previous laureates who will be in Stockholm have been invited, as well as representatives from the prize awarding institutions. Other attendees will be people who participate in one way or another in the work of the Nobel Prize, benefit science as donors or provide support in various ways to the Nobel Foundation and the prize awarding institutions or the public entities in the Nobel sphere.
How many guests will attend the award ceremony and the banquet?
There will be 1,560 guests attending the award ceremony and approximately 1,250 guests at the banquet.
Frågor och svar om Nobelprisutdelning och bankett i Stockholm den 10 december 2024
Vilka bjuds in från riksdag och regering till Nobelprisutdelning och bankett?
Till Nobelprisutdelningen i Konserthuset bjuds hela den svenska regeringen in. Till både prisutdelning och bankett bjuds exempelvis talman, statsminister, utrikesminister, kulturminister, finansminister och utbildningsminister samt Riksbanksfullmäktiges ordförande. Även partiledarna för alla partier som har representation i riksdagen bjuds in till både prisutdelning och bankett.
Har alla partiledare tackat ja?
Nobelstiftelsen brukar berätta vilka officiella representanter som bjuds in men kommenterar inte vilka individer som tackar ja eller nej.
Kommer statsministern?
Den 9 december publiceras placeringen av gäster på honnörsbordet. Där framgår vilka från regeringen som deltar.
Hur många gäster får Nobelpristagarna ta med sig?
Pristagarna får ta med sig en partner samt ett sällskap om ytterligare 14 personer, totalt 16 personer.
Vilka närvarar från Kungahuset?
I år deltar Kungen, Drottningen, Kronprinsessan, Prins Daniel, Prins Carl Philip, Prinsessan Sofia, Prinsessan Madeleine och Christopher O’Neill.
Vilka representanter bjuds in från den diplomatiska kåren?
I år företräds den diplomatiska kåren av Doyen, dvs den ambassadör som har varit längst i Sverige och som enligt protokollet representerar hela den diplomatiska kåren. Utöver det bjuds de ambassadörer in som representerar pristagarnas länder samt Norges ambassadör till både Nobelprisutdelning och bankett.
Det innebär i år att Ungerns ambassadör, som varit längst i Sverige, bjuds in. Samt att ambassadörerna för Kanada, Sydkorea, Turkiet, Storbritannien, USA, Japan och Norge bjuds in.
Bjuds media in till Nobelprisutdelning och bankett?
Ja, cirka 25 svenska och internationella journalister deltar liksom ett tiotal fotografer från nyhetsbyråer.
Vilka bjuds mer in?
Tidigare pristagare som är i Stockholm bjuds in samt representanter från de prisutdelande institutionerna. Andra deltagare är personer, som på ett eller annat sätt deltar i arbetet med Nobelpriset, gynnar vetenskapen som donatorer eller på olika sätt ger sitt stöd till Nobelstiftelsen och de prisutdelande institutionerna eller de publika enheterna inom Nobelsfären.
Hur många gäster närvarar vid prisutdelning respektive bankett?
Det är 1 560 gäster som närvarar vid prisutdelningen och cirka 1 250 gäster vid banketten.