The Nobel Diplomas by Birgitta Lemmel The festival day of the Nobel Foundation is on the 10th of December, the anniversary of the death of the testator. The Prize Award Ceremony for the Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine and Literature as well as for The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel - takes place at the Stockholm Concert Hall. At this event, His Majesty the King of Sweden, hands each Laureate a diploma, a medal and a document confirming theNobel Prize amount. The Nobel Peace Prize is presented on the same day at the Oslo City Hall by the Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in the presence of the King of Norway. The prize-awarding bodies decide the design of the diplomas.The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is responsible for the Physics and Chemistry diplomas, and since 1969 also for the Economics diploma. The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet is responsible for the Physiology or Medicine diploma, theSwedish Academyfor the Literature diploma and theNorwegian Nobel Committee for the diploma presented to the winners of the Peace Prize. Nowadays, the"Swedish"diplomas have a uniform binding, provided by the bookbindery Fälth&Hässler (earlier Hässlers Bokbinderi). This was not the case initially, since the various prize committees decided the artistic design of the diplomas based on their own wishes and resources. The Refsum bookbinding firm was responsible for binding the"Norwegian"diplomas until 1986, when the bookbinding firm of Kjell-Roger Josefson took over. The artistic design of the diplomas has varied over the years, but the text has always followed the same pattern in the Swedish and Norwegian languages, respectively. The"Swedish"diplomas largely carry the same text, stating the person or persons to whom the prize-awarding body has decided to present the year's Prize plus a citation explaining why. The Norwegian diploma, on the other hand, has never included a Prize citation.

The Nobel Prize Insignias: At the Nobel Prize Award Ceremonies on 10 December the Nobel Laureates receive three things: a Nobel Diploma, a Nobel Medal and a document confirming the Nobel Prize amount. Each Nobel Diploma is a unique work of art, created by foremost Swedish and Norwegian artists and calligraphers. The Nobel Medals are handmade with careful precision and in 18 carat green gold plated with 24 carat gold. The Nobel Medals in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine and Literature are identical on the face: it shows the image of Alfred Nobel and the years of his birth and death (1833-1896). Nobel's portrait also appears on the Nobel Peace Prize Medal and the Medal for the Prize in Economic Sciences, but with a slightly different design. The image on the reverse varies according to the institution awarding the prize. More about the Nobel Medals

"Family Nobel Laureates": As you may notice, the Curies were a very successful'Nobel Prize family'. Marie Curie herself was awarded two Nobel Prizes. Read more about Marie and Pierre Curie and the Discovery of Polonium and Radium. Married couples Marie Curie Pierre Curie Irène Joliot-Curie Frédéric Joliot Gerty Cori Carl Cori Alva Myrdal Gunnar Myrdal Mother&daughter Marie Curie Irène Joliot-Curie Father&daughter Pierre Curie Irène Joliot-Curie Father&son William Bragg Lawrence Bragg Niels Bohr Aage N. Bohr Hans von Euler-Chelpin Ulf von Euler Arthur Kornberg Roger D. Kornberg Manne Siegbahn Kai M. Siegbahn J. J. Thomson George Paget Thomson Brothers Jan Tinbergen Nikolaas Tinbergen

Posthumous Nobel Prizes: From 1974, theStatutesof the Nobel Foundation stipulate that a Prize cannot be awarded posthumously, unless death has occurred after the announcement of the Nobel Prize. Before 1974, the Nobel Prize has only been awarded posthumously twice: to Dag Hammarskjöld(Nobel Peace Prize 1961) andErik Axel Karlfeldt (Nobel Prize in Literature 1931). Following the 2011 announcement of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, it was discovered that one of the Medicine Laureates, Ralph Steinman, had passed away three days earlier. The Board of the Nobel Foundation examined the statutes, and an interpretation of the purpose of the rule above lead tothe conclusion that Ralph Steinman shouldcontinueto remain aNobelLaureate, as the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet had announced the 2011 Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine without knowing of his death.

Multiple Nobel Laureates: The work of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been honoured by a Nobel Peace Prize three times. Besides, the founder of the ICRC, Henry Dunant, was awarded the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. Linus Pauling is the only person to have been awarded two unshared Nobel Prizes - the 1954 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the 1962 Nobel Peace Prize. J. BardeenM. CurieL. Pauling Physics 1956 Physics 1972 Physics 1903 Chemistry 1911 Chemistry 1954 Peace 1962 F. SangerICRCUNHCR Chemistry 1958 Chemistry 1980 Peace 1917 Peace 1944 Peace 1963 Peace 1954 Peace 1981