Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2026 Announcement Live

The announcement of the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is scheduled for Monday at 12:30 PM Stockholm time. The prize, established by Alfred Nobel's will and awarded by the Karolinska Institute since 1901, honors the most significant discovery in physiology or medicine. This year's prize money is 12 million Swedish kronor, approximately 3.7 million Israeli shekels, to be divided among the laureates.

The nomination process began over a year ago, with invitations sent to thousands worldwide to propose candidates. The Nobel Committee and experts then reviewed these proposals, with the final decision made by a majority vote of 50 professors from the Karolinska Institute. The names of this year's nominees will remain confidential for 50 years, with records only to be released in 2076.

Last year, the prize was awarded to three scientists for their research on autoimmune diseases: Professor Mary Brunkow and Dr. Fred Ramsdell from the US, and Professor Shimon Skoguchi from Osaka University in Japan. Their work focused on regulatory T cells, crucial for immune system regulation, opening new avenues for treating autoimmune diseases, cancer, and transplant rejection.

Previous Nobel laureates in Medicine include American biologists Professor Victor Ambros and Professor Gary Ruvkun, who discovered microRNA, tiny molecules that regulate gene activity. They had previously received the Israeli Wolf Prize in 2014 for this discovery, an award also given that year to Israeli-Canadian researcher Professor Nahum Sonenberg for his work on protein production control in cells. In 2023, Professors Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman were awarded the Nobel Prize for their research that paved the way for mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

Historically, the youngest Nobel laureate in Medicine was Dr. Frederick Banting at age 32 in 1923 for discovering insulin. The oldest was Professor Peyton Rous at 87 in 1966 for identifying viruses that cause tumors. No one has won the Medicine prize twice. Gertie Cori was the first of 14 women to win, sharing the prize with her husband in 1947. The prize has also seen unique circumstances, such as in 1939 when Hitler forbade German researcher Gerhard Domagk from accepting the award, and in 2011 when Ralph Steinman was posthumously awarded the prize after passing away shortly before the announcement.

Israel has yet to receive a Nobel Prize in Medicine, but has been recognized with two Nobel Prizes in Chemistry for research closely related to medicine. In 2004, Professors Abraham Hershko and Aaron Ciechanover from the Technion, along with American Professor Irwin Rose, won for discovering the mechanism of protein degradation in cells. In 2009, Professor Ada Yonath from the Weizmann Institute of Science won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for elucidating the structure of the ribosome, the cell's protein factory, which aids in developing new antibiotics. Professor Yonath, the only Israeli woman to have won a Nobel Prize, passed away in late August at the age of 87.

The announcements for other Nobel Prizes continue this week: Physics on Tuesday, Chemistry on Wednesday, and Literature on Thursday. The Peace Prize will be announced in Oslo on Friday, followed by the Economics Prize in Stockholm on Monday, October 12th. The award ceremony will take place on December 10th, the anniversary of Nobel's death.