Here are five things you should know about the Nobel Prizes:
1. The Nobel Prizes were established by Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, businessman, and philanthropist.
In his will, Nobel stipulated that his fortune be used to create a series of prizes to be awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind."
2. The Nobel Prizes are awarded in five categories: physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace.
The sixth category, the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, was established in 1968 by the Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden's central bank).
3. The Nobel Prizes are awarded by the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet (for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine), the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (for the Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry), the Swedish Academy (for the Nobel Prize in Literature), and the Norwegian Nobel Committee (for the Nobel Peace Prize).
4. The Nobel Prizes are presented at a ceremony held in Stockholm, Sweden, on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.
Each laureate receives a gold medal, a diploma, and a monetary award.
5. The Nobel Prizes have been awarded to over 900 individuals and organizations since 1901.
The youngest Nobel laureate was Malala Yousafzai, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at the age of 17. The oldest Nobel laureate was Leonid Hurwicz, who won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2007 at the age of 90.
