We are happy to announce...
October 6, 2014
Brendan McNeil
"And
the winner of the 2014 Noble prize is.."
For
thousands of people around the world - artists, scientists, doctors, writers,
leaders - those words could change their lives.
The
Nobel prize is one of the most important awards that anyone can receive. Nobel
prizes are given each year in six subject areas. The areas are physics,
chemistry, medicine, literature, peace, and economics. The prizes honor people
anywhere in the world who have done outstanding work in one of these areas.
The
Nobel prizes are named after Alfred Nobel, a Swedish scientist. He invented the
explosive called dynamite. The invention made him rich. He decided to use the
money to honor people who helped humankind in some way.
The
first Nobel prizes were handed out on December 10, 1901, exactly five years
after Alfred Nobel's death. At first there were only five prizes. The prize for
economics was added to the list in 1969. Groups in Sweden decide who wins most
prizes. A group in Norway picks the winner of the peace prize.
Each
year, hundreds of people are nominated for the prizes. The nominations are
secret, so no one ever knows who might win. The decisions are made in secret
too. Once the decision is made, the Noble committee calls the winner at home,
even if it is the middle of the night in their country. The next day the winner
is announced on the news. There is one announcement each day for about a week,
with the first one being for medicine.
The
winners receive their awards at a banquet in Stockholm, Sweden. Each winner
takes home a gold medal and a certain amount of money. Sometimes two or three
people share a prize. Only the peace prize can be won by an organization,
however.
A few
years ago Barack Obama won the Noble Prize for peace. Doctors Without Borders
has won as well. Last year, the Canadian writer Alice Munro, who lives near
Lake Huron, won the prize for literature. It is the greatest honour any writer
can receive.
The
award cannot be given to someone who has died. Only the living are eligible,
and along with the prize, the winner receives almost a million dollars. Keep
working on science, keep writing, and keep discovering, maybe the winner one
day will be you.
