The Nobel Prize — first awarded in 1901 — recognises outstanding contributions in Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Peace, and Economics, and its winners list is one of the most reliably tested topics in every major competitive exam.
This page covers all six categories with recent winners (2020–2024), all Indian Nobel laureates, landmark historical winners, and exam-focused MCQs and flashcards. Special attention is given to high-priority current affairs — including the 2024 AI Nobel Prizes and Gukesh’s chess title for context.
⚡ Quick Facts
- Nobel Prize first awarded 1901; the Economics Prize was NOT in Alfred Nobel’s will — established in 1968 by Sweden’s central bank; first awarded 1969.
- Marie Curie — only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences: Physics (1903) and Chemistry (1911).
- India has 10 Nobel laureates of Indian origin; Tagore (Literature, 1913) = first Indian AND first Asian Nobel laureate.
- ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) — won Nobel Peace Prize the most times: 3 times (1917, 1944, 1963).
- Malala Yousafzai (Peace, 2014) — youngest Nobel laureate ever, at age 17.
“Einstein won the Nobel Prize for the theory of relativity” — WRONG. Einstein won the 1921 Physics Nobel for the photoelectric effect. Relativity was considered too theoretical at the time. Also: the Economics Nobel was NOT established by Alfred Nobel — it was added by Sweden’s central bank in 1968 (first awarded 1969). And Tagore (not C.V. Raman) was the first Indian Nobel laureate — Raman won in 1930, Tagore in 1913. Most-Tested Traps
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🏅 Nobel Prize Winners — Recent (2020–2024) & Key Historical
| # ↕ | Year ↕ | Category | Winner(s) ↕ | Country | Key Reason / Exam Fact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2024 | Physics | John Hopfield & Geoffrey Hinton | USA / UK / Canada | Foundational discoveries enabling machine learning / AI — landmark AI Nobel Hot |
| 2 | 2024 | Chemistry | David Baker; Demis Hassabis & John Jumper | USA / UK | Computational protein design; AlphaFold (DeepMind) solved protein folding — AI Nobel Hot |
| 3 | 2024 | Medicine | Victor Ambros & Gary Ruvkun | USA | Discovery of microRNA and its role in gene regulation |
| 4 | 2024 | Literature | Han Kang | South Korea | Intense poetic prose confronting historical trauma; first South Korean Nobel laureate |
| 5 | 2024 | Peace | Nihon Hidankyo | Japan | Atomic bomb survivors (Hibakusha) promoting nuclear-free world; Hiroshima/Nagasaki survivors |
| 6 | 2024 | Economics | Acemoglu, Johnson & Robinson | USA | Studies on how institutions shape prosperity; colonial history and development |
| 7 | 2023 | Physics | Agostini, Krausz & L’Huillier | USA / Austria / France | Attosecond pulses of light for studying electrons in matter |
| 8 | 2023 | Chemistry | Bawendi, Brus & Ekimov | USA / Russia | Discovery and synthesis of quantum dots |
| 9 | 2023 | Medicine | Katalin Karikó & Drew Weissman | Hungary / USA | mRNA modifications enabling COVID-19 vaccines — directly enabled Pfizer/Moderna Hot |
| 10 | 2023 | Literature | Jon Fosse | Norway | Innovative plays and prose giving voice to the unsayable |
| 11 | 2023 | Peace | Narges Mohammadi | Iran | Struggle against oppression of women in Iran; received award while imprisoned |
| 12 | 2023 | Economics | Claudia Goldin | USA | Women’s labour market outcomes and gender pay gap; third woman to win Economics Nobel solo |
| 13 | 2022 | Physics | Aspect, Clauser & Zeilinger | France / USA / Austria | Experiments with entangled photons; quantum information science |
| 14 | 2022 | Chemistry | Bertozzi, Meldal & Sharpless | USA / Denmark | Development of click chemistry; Sharpless won his second Nobel (rare) |
| 15 | 2022 | Medicine | Svante Pääbo | Sweden | Discoveries about genomes of extinct hominins (Neanderthals, Denisovans) |
| 16 | 2022 | Literature | Annie Ernaux | France | Personal memory and cultural displacement in prose; first French woman to win Literature Nobel |
| 17 | 2022 | Peace | Bialiatski; Memorial; CCL | Belarus / Russia / Ukraine | Human rights defenders in Eastern Europe; recognising civil society in conflict zone |
| 18 | 2022 | Economics | Bernanke, Diamond & Dybvig | USA | Research on banks and financial crises; Bernanke = former US Fed Reserve Chair |
| 19 | 2021 | Physics | Manabe, Hasselmann & Parisi | USA / Germany / Italy | Climate modelling and complex physical systems; groundwork for climate science |
| 20 | 2021 | Chemistry | Benjamin List & David MacMillan | Germany / USA | Development of asymmetric organocatalysis — green chemistry tool |
| 21 | 2021 | Medicine | David Julius & Ardem Patapoutian | USA | Discovery of receptors for temperature and touch (TRPV1 and Piezo channels) |
| 22 | 2021 | Literature | Abdulrazak Gurnah | Tanzania / UK | Fiction about the effects of colonialism on African experience |
| 23 | 2021 | Peace | Maria Ressa & Dmitry Muratov | Philippines / Russia | Safeguarding freedom of expression; journalists under pressure from authoritarian governments |
| 24 | 2021 | Economics | Card; Angrist & Imbens | Canada / USA | Labour economics; causal analysis methodology (natural experiments) |
| 25 | 2020 | Physics | Penrose; Genzel & Ghez | UK / Germany & USA | Black hole formation theory; Milky Way’s supermassive black hole observation |
| 26 | 2020 | Chemistry | Charpentier & Doudna | France / USA | Development of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing (“genetic scissors”) Hot |
| 27 | 2020 | Medicine | Alter, Houghton & Rice | USA / UK | Discovery of Hepatitis C virus |
| 28 | 2020 | Literature | Louise Glück | USA | Unmistakable poetic voice with austere beauty; American poet |
| 29 | 2020 | Peace | World Food Programme (WFP) | International (UN) | Efforts to combat hunger in conflict-affected areas; UN agency |
| 30 | 2020 | Economics | Milgrom & Wilson | USA | Improvements to auction theory and design of new auction formats |
| 31 | 1921 | Physics | Albert Einstein | Germany | Won for photoelectric effect — NOT relativity (most tested Nobel exam trap) Hot |
| 32 | 1903 & 1911 | Physics & Chemistry | Marie Curie | Poland / France | Only person to win Nobel in two different sciences: Physics (1903) + Chemistry (1911) Hot |
| 33 | 1913 | Literature | Rabindranath Tagore | India | First Indian AND first Asian Nobel laureate; Gitanjali; Literature 1913 Hot |
| 34 | 1930 | Physics | C. V. Raman | India | Discovery of Raman Effect (scattering of light); only Indian solo Physics Nobel Hot |
| 35 | 2014 | Peace | Malala Yousafzai & Kailash Satyarthi | Pakistan / India | Malala = youngest Nobel laureate ever (age 17); Satyarthi = Indian peace laureate Hot |
| 36 | 1998 | Economics | Amartya Sen | India | Welfare economics; poverty and famine theory; first Indian Economics Nobel Hot |
| 37 | 2009 | Chemistry | Venkatraman Ramakrishnan | India / UK | Structure and function of ribosome; Indian-origin Chemistry Nobel laureate |
| 38 | 2019 | Economics | Abhijit Banerjee | India / USA | Experimental approach to alleviating global poverty; most recent Indian Nobel (2019) Hot |
| 39 | 1979 | Peace | Mother Teresa | India (Albanian origin) | Humanitarian work with the poor in Calcutta; Albanian-born, Indian citizen |
| 40 | 1969 | Economics | Ragnar Frisch & Jan Tinbergen | Norway / Netherlands | First-ever Economics Nobel (1969); dynamic economic models Hot |
| # | Name | Category | Year | Key Contribution | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rabindranath Tagore | Literature | 1913 | Gitanjali — poetic works | First Indian & first Asian Nobel laureate Hot |
| 2 | C. V. Raman | Physics | 1930 | Raman Effect (scattering of light) | Only Indian to win Physics Nobel solo |
| 3 | Har Gobind Khorana | Medicine | 1968 | Interpretation of genetic code | Born in undivided India; held US citizenship |
| 4 | Mother Teresa | Peace | 1979 | Humanitarian work with the poor in Calcutta | Albanian origin; Indian citizen |
| 5 | Subramanyan Chandrasekhar | Physics | 1983 | Chandrasekhar Limit; stellar evolution | Indian-American; nephew of C.V. Raman |
| 6 | Amartya Sen | Economics | 1998 | Welfare economics; poverty and famine theory | First Indian Economics Nobel Hot |
| 7 | V. S. Naipaul | Literature | 2001 | Postcolonial literature | Trinidadian of Indian origin; British citizen |
| 8 | Venkatraman Ramakrishnan | Chemistry | 2009 | Structure and function of ribosome | Indian-origin; UK citizen; also known as “Venki” |
| 9 | Kailash Satyarthi | Peace | 2014 | Child rights; anti-child labour activism | Shared with Malala Yousafzai (Pakistan) |
| 10 | Abhijit Banerjee | Economics | 2019 | Experimental approach to alleviating global poverty | Most recent Indian Nobel; Indian-American Hot |
| Year | Category | Winner | Exam-Critical Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1903, 1911 | Physics + Chemistry | Marie Curie | Only person to win Nobel in 2 different sciences |
| 1921 | Physics | Albert Einstein | Won for photoelectric effect — NOT relativity |
| 1945 | Medicine | Fleming, Chain & Florey | Discovery of penicillin |
| 1962 | Medicine | Crick, Watson & Wilkins | Structure of DNA (double helix) |
| 1969 | Economics | Frisch & Tinbergen | First-ever Economics Nobel (added 1969 — not by Nobel) |
| 1993 | Peace | Mandela & De Klerk | Peaceful end of apartheid in South Africa |
| — | Peace (3×) | ICRC | Won Peace Nobel most times — 1917, 1944, 1963 |
| 2014 | Peace | Malala Yousafzai | Youngest Nobel laureate ever — age 17 |
⚖️ Compare Two Nobel Laureates
📝 Key Notes & Memory Tips
- Established by Alfred Nobel’s will; first awarded 1901
- Original five categories: Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Peace
- Economics Nobel was NOT in Nobel’s will — added in 1968 by Sweden’s central bank (Sveriges Riksbank); first awarded 1969 to Frisch & Tinbergen
- Prizes awarded in Stockholm (all) and Oslo (Peace only) on December 10 — anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death
- Current prize: SEK 11 million per category + gold medal + diploma
Albert Einstein won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for the discovery of the photoelectric effect — NOT for the theory of relativity. Relativity was considered too controversial and theoretical at the time of the award. Einstein actually received the prize in 1922 (delayed by a year), awarded retroactively for 1921. This is one of the most commonly misanswered Nobel Prize questions in competitive exams across India.
- First Indian: Rabindranath Tagore (Literature, 1913) — also first Asian Nobel laureate
- Only Indian solo Physics Nobel: C. V. Raman (1930) — Raman Effect
- Indian Peace Nobles: Mother Teresa (1979, Albanian-born Indian citizen) and Kailash Satyarthi (2014, shared with Malala)
- Indian Economics Nobles: Amartya Sen (1998) and Abhijit Banerjee (2019)
- Khorana, Chandrasekhar, Naipaul, and Ramakrishnan are of Indian origin but held foreign citizenship at award time
- Most recent Indian-origin Nobel: Abhijit Banerjee (2019)
- Physics 2024: John Hopfield & Geoffrey Hinton (Canada/UK) — foundational discoveries enabling machine learning / artificial neural networks — “Godfather of AI”
- Chemistry 2024: David Baker (computational protein design) + Demis Hassabis & John Jumper (UK) — AlphaFold, DeepMind’s AI solving the 50-year protein-folding problem; Hassabis = CEO of Google DeepMind
- First time AI was explicitly recognised by Nobel Committee in two separate categories
- This is top-priority current affairs for all 2025–26 competitive exams
T-R-K-M-C-S-N-R-S-B
Tagore (1913) | Raman (1930) | Khorana (1968) | Mother Teresa (1979) | Chandrasekhar (1983) | Sen (1998) | Naipaul (2001) | Ramakrishnan (2009) | Satyarthi (2014) | Banerjee (2019)
Memory hook: “Tiger Roars Killing Many Cats; Seeks New Routes South Beyond”
“PC-ML-P” → Physics, Chemistry, Medicine/Physiology, Literature, Peace
Economics was added in 1969 — remember: “Economics came LAST, in 1969, not with Nobel’s original 5.”
🃏 Flashcards
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🧩 Practice Quiz
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Einstein won the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect, not for the theory of relativity. Relativity was considered too controversial and theoretical at the time of the award. Einstein received the prize in 1922 (delayed by a year), awarded retroactively for 1921. This is one of the most commonly misanswered Nobel Prize questions in competitive exams across India.
Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his collection Gitanjali, making him the first Indian and first Asian to receive a Nobel Prize in any category. C.V. Raman won in 1930 (Physics) — 17 years after Tagore. Mother Teresa won in 1979. Amartya Sen won in 1998. The mnemonic starts with T = Tagore (1913).
The Prize in Economic Sciences was established by Sweden’s central bank (Sveriges Riksbank) in 1968 as a memorial to Alfred Nobel and was first awarded in 1969 to Ragnar Frisch (Norway) and Jan Tinbergen (Netherlands) for dynamic economic models. The original five Nobel Prizes (Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Peace) date from 1901. Economics is NOT among Alfred Nobel’s original five categories.
Katalin Karikó (Hungary) and Drew Weissman (USA) won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries of nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 — enabling the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. Harvey Alter and Michael Houghton won the 2020 Medicine Nobel for Hepatitis C virus discovery.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has won the Nobel Peace Prize three times — in 1917, 1944, and 1963 — more than any other single organisation or individual. The ICRC shared the 1963 prize with the League of Red Cross Societies. The World Food Programme (WFP) won in 2020. MSF won once in 1999. The UN system has won several prizes but through different agencies.
✅ Key Takeaways
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Six Nobel Prizes are awarded each year — Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Peace, and Economic Sciences. The first five were established by Alfred Nobel’s will and first awarded in 1901. The Prize in Economic Sciences was added in 1969 by Sweden’s central bank (Sveriges Riksbank) — it is not part of Nobel’s original will. Each prize carries a cash award (currently SEK 11 million per category), a gold medal, and a diploma, presented in Stockholm (all prizes) and Oslo (Peace Prize only) on December 10 — the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.
India has 10 Nobel Prize winners of Indian origin, though some held foreign citizenship at the time of their award. The most exam-tested are Rabindranath Tagore (Literature, 1913 — first Indian & first Asian Nobel), C.V. Raman (Physics, 1930 — Raman Effect), Mother Teresa (Peace, 1979 — Indian citizen of Albanian origin), Amartya Sen (Economics, 1998 — first Indian Economics Nobel), Kailash Satyarthi (Peace, 2014 — shared with Malala Yousafzai), and Abhijit Banerjee (Economics, 2019 — most recent). Use mnemonic T-R-K-M-C-S-N-R-S-B.
Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan is the youngest Nobel laureate ever, having won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at age 17, jointly with India’s Kailash Satyarthi. She was recognised for her struggle against the suppression of children’s rights and for the right of all children to education, particularly following the Taliban’s attempt to kill her in 2012. She is also the youngest person to be nominated for the Nobel Prize. India’s Satyarthi shared this prize for his decades of anti-child labour activism through the Bachpan Bachao Andolan movement.
The 2024 Nobel Prizes were historic in recognising Artificial Intelligence as a legitimate scientific domain for the first time. The Physics Prize went to John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton for foundational discoveries enabling artificial neural networks — the basis of modern AI (Hinton is called the “Godfather of AI”). The Chemistry Prize went to David Baker for computational protein design and to Demis Hassabis (CEO of Google DeepMind) and John Jumper for AlphaFold, DeepMind’s AI system that solved the 50-year protein-folding problem. These are top-priority current affairs facts for all 2025–26 competitive exams.
