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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Six categories are presented together today: physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, peace, and economic sciences. Alfred Nobel’s 1895 will named the first five; the economic-sciences prize was established in 1969 and has a distinct formal name: the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. The categories recognize different kinds of work, from scientific discoveries to literature and efforts to promote peace.
The six Nobel Prize categories at a glance
| Category | Work recognized | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | Important discoveries or inventions in physics | Named in Alfred Nobel’s will |
| Chemistry | Important chemical discoveries or improvements | Named in Alfred Nobel’s will |
| Physiology or Medicine | Important discoveries in physiology or medicine | Named in Alfred Nobel’s will |
| Literature | Outstanding literary work in an ideal direction | Named in Alfred Nobel’s will |
| Peace | Work promoting fraternity between nations, reducing or abolishing standing armies, and promoting peace congresses | Named in Alfred Nobel’s will |
| Economic sciences | Work in economic sciences | Established in 1969; not named in Nobel’s will |
The official Nobel Prize overview presents all six together. The distinction in origin matters: economic sciences is commonly grouped with the Nobel Prizes, but its formal award name and history are different.
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What each category recognizes
Physics
Nobel’s will provides for an award to the person who made “the most important discovery or invention within the field of physics.” The wording covers both discovery and invention.
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The will specifies “the most important chemical discovery or improvement.” Its criterion is framed around advances in chemistry, rather than using the same wording as the physics category.
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- Author: Ishiguro, Kazuo.
- Publisher: Vintage International
- Pages: 245
- Publication Date: 1990-09-12
- Edition: First Edition
Physiology or Medicine
The will calls for “the most important discovery within the domain of physiology or medicine.” The official category name remains “Physiology or Medicine.”
Literature
The will describes the recognized work as “the most outstanding work in an ideal direction.” That is the historical wording of the criterion; it should not be mistaken for a more expansive modern paraphrase.
Peace
The peace criterion names work for “fraternity between nations,” the “abolition or reduction of standing armies,” and the “holding and promotion of peace congresses.” These elements are explicit in Nobel’s will, rather than a single broad definition of peace work.
Economic sciences
The formal name is the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. It was established in 1969, after Nobel’s will, and is not one of the five categories specified there.
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Why there are six categories today
Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament on 27 November 1895. It directed that most of his fortune fund prizes for work that conferred the greatest benefit to humankind, naming physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace. The Nobel Foundation reproduces the will’s phrase “those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind” on its statutes page. The first awards were given in 1901. The economic-sciences prize followed in 1969, which is why current lists show six categories even though Nobel named five fields in his will.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How many prizes and laureates are there?
Nobel Prize Outreach’s figures cover awards from 1901 through 2025. These totals are cumulative for that stated period, not counts through 2026.
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| Category | Prizes, 1901–2025 | Laureates, 1901–2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | 119 | 230 |
| Chemistry | 117 | 200 |
| Physiology or Medicine | 116 | 232 |
| Literature | 118 | 122 |
| Peace | 106 | 112 people and 31 organisations |
| Economic sciences | 57 | 99 |
Across all six, the Nobel Prizes and the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel were awarded 633 times to 1,026 people and organisations between 1901 and 2025. These figures are reported on Nobel Prize Outreach’s Nobel Prize facts page.
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