by Yelshea Moore
The season of goodwill, reflection and gratitude for those who positively influence our lives is almost upon us.
On a worldwide stage, positively influential people will be formally recognised on 10 December 2018, through The Nobel Foundation and its associated awarding bodies, for their outstanding contributions to humankind.
After being selected as winners in early October 2018, Nobel prize-winning Laureates in the areas of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology/Medicine, Economic Sciences and Peace will attend the Nobel Prize giving ceremony on 10 December 2018, held annually in Stockholm, Sweden; with the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony being held in Oslo, Norway.
There is traditionally a Nobel Prize for Literature, but unfortunately due to a decision made by The Swedish Academy, the prize has been postponed this year.
At the prize-giving ceremony, Laureates will all be presented with a Nobel Medal, together with a Diploma and written notification of the amount of prize money to be awarded.
The Nobel Medal is made from 18 carat recycled gold and is embossed on one side with the face of Alfred Nobel and his date of birth and death. The other side of the medal varies, as it bears the insignia of the institution awarding the prize.
The Nobel Diplomas are all uniquely designed by top Swedish and Norwegian artists and calligraphers, with the artwork adhering to a particular theme set for that year by the awarding bodies.
The prize money is taken from the 94% share of the estate Alfred Nobel bequeathed to this cause upon his death on 10 December 1896. The total monetary ‘gift’ left by Alfred Nobel to establish the economic basis of the Nobel Prizes, was over 31 million Swedish Kroner (today 1,702 million Swedish Kroner, or approximately NZ$276 million).
Alfred Nobel stipulated that the money be put into a fund that “invested in safe securities” and it was to be understood that the income from such investments be “distributed annually in the form of prizes to those who during the preceding year have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind.”
Those that have been recognised this year as ‘conferring the greatest benefit to mankind’, are set to receive 9 million Swedish Kroner per full Nobel Prize, (approximately NZ$1.5 million). If won jointly, the prize money is evenly split.
This year, 12 Laureates have been awarded prizes in their chosen disciplines. They are as follows:
Physics - Nobel Prize jointly awarded to Arthur Ashkin, Gérard Mourou and Donna Strickland for their revolutionary inventions in the field of laser physics.
Chemistry - Nobel Prize jointly awarded to Frances H. Arnold, George P. Smith and Sir Gregory P. Winter, for their evolutionary discoveries in the areas of genetic change and selection, to aid in the development of proteins that could help solve some of humankind's chemical issues.
Physiology/Medicine - Nobel Prize jointly awarded to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo, for their landmark discovery of a revolutionary therapy that uses different strategies to inhibit the ‘brakes’ on the immune system and therefore help in the treatment of cancer.
Peace - Nobel Prize jointly awarded to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad for highlighting the plight of the victims of war crimes; Denis as a helper and advocate of such victims and Nadia as a victim herself. Both have helped draw attention to the horror of war-time sexual violence, so that perpetrators are held accountable for their crimes.
Economic Sciences - Nobel Prize jointly awarded to William D. Nordhaus and Paul M. Romer for investigating the feasibility of sustainable economic growth versus the causes and consequences of technological innovation and climate change. Both aforementioned consequences have been integrated into long-term macroeconomic analyses, giving us a better understanding of the importance of a symbiotic economic arrangement with nature.
In these cynical times, it is refreshing to read of the achievements of our Nobel Prize winners and feel satisfied in the knowledge that there remains a recognised institution that promotes and rewards such humanitarians, evolutionaries, visionaries and revolutionaries.
The Nobel Prizes are a legacy that Alfred Bernhard Nobel must have been truly proud of. However, I ponder as to whether he had experienced a Promethean-like guilt beforehand, during the time when his name was primarily linked to his most famous invention, dynamite?
Dynamite was an invention born out of the need to stabilize Nitro-glycerine for use as an explosive, after Alfred’s younger brother Emil had died in an explosion when trying to handle the volatile material. Deeply affected by his brother’s untimely death together with a headline he saw in a French newspaper that proclaimed ‘The Merchant of Death is Dead’ (an obituary that incorrectly announced his passing instead of Emil’s), Alfred Nobel was inspired to leave a lasting, peaceful legacy that drew away from the fact that not only was his invention of dynamite being used for the advancement of mining and construction, it was also being utilised as a weapon of mass destruction during war-time.
In the hope that weapons of power would put an end to such wars, Alfred Nobel was quoted as saying “Perhaps my factories will put an end to war sooner than your congress: on the day that two army corps can mutually annihilate each other in a second, all civilised nations will surely recoil with horror and disband their troops”. A sobering prophecy, but one that has still to be recognised 122 years since his death.
Peace, scientific and artistic advancement are crucial for the survival and health of humanity. In a year that has commemorated the 100-year Anniversary of the signing of the Armistice to end the hostilities of World War I, a war that was hoped would ‘end all wars’, we realise we still have a long way to go. “Lest we forget” this at our peril.
The Nobel Prizes remind us that there are still incredible people in this world willing to dedicate their lives to the betterment of the human race. Their acknowledgement promotes fresh thinking and healthy debate and is a welcome step away from the constant stream of narrow-minded articles we are bombarded with daily and the ever-increasing amount of what is known ironically as ‘reality’ television.
It is thanks to these celebrated Laureates that the ‘real’ world will keep advancing despite these distractions and hopefully one day Alfred Nobel’s wish for peace will finally become a reality.
On a worldwide stage, positively influential people will be formally recognised on 10 December 2018, through The Nobel Foundation and its associated awarding bodies, for their outstanding contributions to humankind.
After being selected as winners in early October 2018, Nobel prize-winning Laureates in the areas of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology/Medicine, Economic Sciences and Peace will attend the Nobel Prize giving ceremony on 10 December 2018, held annually in Stockholm, Sweden; with the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony being held in Oslo, Norway.
There is traditionally a Nobel Prize for Literature, but unfortunately due to a decision made by The Swedish Academy, the prize has been postponed this year.
At the prize-giving ceremony, Laureates will all be presented with a Nobel Medal, together with a Diploma and written notification of the amount of prize money to be awarded.
The Nobel Medal is made from 18 carat recycled gold and is embossed on one side with the face of Alfred Nobel and his date of birth and death. The other side of the medal varies, as it bears the insignia of the institution awarding the prize.
The Nobel Diplomas are all uniquely designed by top Swedish and Norwegian artists and calligraphers, with the artwork adhering to a particular theme set for that year by the awarding bodies.
The prize money is taken from the 94% share of the estate Alfred Nobel bequeathed to this cause upon his death on 10 December 1896. The total monetary ‘gift’ left by Alfred Nobel to establish the economic basis of the Nobel Prizes, was over 31 million Swedish Kroner (today 1,702 million Swedish Kroner, or approximately NZ$276 million).
Alfred Nobel stipulated that the money be put into a fund that “invested in safe securities” and it was to be understood that the income from such investments be “distributed annually in the form of prizes to those who during the preceding year have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind.”
Those that have been recognised this year as ‘conferring the greatest benefit to mankind’, are set to receive 9 million Swedish Kroner per full Nobel Prize, (approximately NZ$1.5 million). If won jointly, the prize money is evenly split.
This year, 12 Laureates have been awarded prizes in their chosen disciplines. They are as follows:
Physics - Nobel Prize jointly awarded to Arthur Ashkin, Gérard Mourou and Donna Strickland for their revolutionary inventions in the field of laser physics.
Chemistry - Nobel Prize jointly awarded to Frances H. Arnold, George P. Smith and Sir Gregory P. Winter, for their evolutionary discoveries in the areas of genetic change and selection, to aid in the development of proteins that could help solve some of humankind's chemical issues.
Physiology/Medicine - Nobel Prize jointly awarded to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo, for their landmark discovery of a revolutionary therapy that uses different strategies to inhibit the ‘brakes’ on the immune system and therefore help in the treatment of cancer.
Peace - Nobel Prize jointly awarded to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad for highlighting the plight of the victims of war crimes; Denis as a helper and advocate of such victims and Nadia as a victim herself. Both have helped draw attention to the horror of war-time sexual violence, so that perpetrators are held accountable for their crimes.
Economic Sciences - Nobel Prize jointly awarded to William D. Nordhaus and Paul M. Romer for investigating the feasibility of sustainable economic growth versus the causes and consequences of technological innovation and climate change. Both aforementioned consequences have been integrated into long-term macroeconomic analyses, giving us a better understanding of the importance of a symbiotic economic arrangement with nature.
In these cynical times, it is refreshing to read of the achievements of our Nobel Prize winners and feel satisfied in the knowledge that there remains a recognised institution that promotes and rewards such humanitarians, evolutionaries, visionaries and revolutionaries.
The Nobel Prizes are a legacy that Alfred Bernhard Nobel must have been truly proud of. However, I ponder as to whether he had experienced a Promethean-like guilt beforehand, during the time when his name was primarily linked to his most famous invention, dynamite?
Dynamite was an invention born out of the need to stabilize Nitro-glycerine for use as an explosive, after Alfred’s younger brother Emil had died in an explosion when trying to handle the volatile material. Deeply affected by his brother’s untimely death together with a headline he saw in a French newspaper that proclaimed ‘The Merchant of Death is Dead’ (an obituary that incorrectly announced his passing instead of Emil’s), Alfred Nobel was inspired to leave a lasting, peaceful legacy that drew away from the fact that not only was his invention of dynamite being used for the advancement of mining and construction, it was also being utilised as a weapon of mass destruction during war-time.
In the hope that weapons of power would put an end to such wars, Alfred Nobel was quoted as saying “Perhaps my factories will put an end to war sooner than your congress: on the day that two army corps can mutually annihilate each other in a second, all civilised nations will surely recoil with horror and disband their troops”. A sobering prophecy, but one that has still to be recognised 122 years since his death.
Peace, scientific and artistic advancement are crucial for the survival and health of humanity. In a year that has commemorated the 100-year Anniversary of the signing of the Armistice to end the hostilities of World War I, a war that was hoped would ‘end all wars’, we realise we still have a long way to go. “Lest we forget” this at our peril.
The Nobel Prizes remind us that there are still incredible people in this world willing to dedicate their lives to the betterment of the human race. Their acknowledgement promotes fresh thinking and healthy debate and is a welcome step away from the constant stream of narrow-minded articles we are bombarded with daily and the ever-increasing amount of what is known ironically as ‘reality’ television.
It is thanks to these celebrated Laureates that the ‘real’ world will keep advancing despite these distractions and hopefully one day Alfred Nobel’s wish for peace will finally become a reality.
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