Nobel Prize Season Begins... Who Will Be the Laureates of the Nobel Peace Prize and Others?

The October Nobel Prize season has begun.

According to the Nobel Committee on the 1st, the winners will be announced starting with the Physiology or Medicine Prize on the 2nd, followed by the Physics Prize on the 3rd, the Chemistry Prize on the 4th, the Literature Prize on the 5th, the Peace Prize on the 6th, and the Economic Sciences Prize on the 9th.

This year, particular attention is focused on who will receive the Nobel Peace Prize amid the prolonged Ukraine war and the turbulent international situation.

Since the selection of Nobel laureates is conducted in strict secrecy, it is difficult to predict the winners until the moment of the announcement this time as well.

However, there is much speculation centered around the Peace Prize nominees recommended to the Nobel Committee last January. Accordingly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Chinese ethnic minority Uyghur activist Ilham Tohti, human rights activist Narges Mohammadi who has opposed the Iranian authorities' oppression of women, and activist and journalist Mahbuba Seraj who has resisted the Taliban regime in Afghanistan are mentioned. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is also being discussed.

For the Literature Prize, Chinese writer Chan Ho-kei is considered a strong candidate by the UK online betting site Nicer Odds. Norwegian writer Jon Fosse, Australian writer Gerald Murnane, and Canadian poet Anne Carson are also in the running.

Researchers who contributed to the development of the COVID-19 vaccine are also drawing attention as potential Nobel laureates.

Meanwhile, at the award ceremony held in Sweden (excluding the Peace Prize), ambassadors from Russia, Belarus, and Iran are expected not to be invited again this year, following last year.

Initially, the Nobel Foundation announced that it would re-invite the ambassadors from these countries, who had been excluded from the Nobel Prize ceremony due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, starting this year. However, after strong domestic and international backlash, the decision was reversed within two days.

However, all ambassadors from various countries will be invited to the Peace Prize ceremony held in Oslo, Norway, as was the case last year.

This year, Nobel laureates will receive a prize of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately 1.34 billion KRW) per category. This is about a 10% increase from the previous year (10 million Swedish kronor).

The award ceremonies will be broadcast live via the official website and YouTube.