Nobel Prize winners in chemistry announced prematurely, says Swedish Media

According to public broadcaster SVT, the academy sent a press release by mistake early on Wednesday (October 4) that named the winners. The release said the prize had been awarded to three US-based scientists for the “discovery and synthesis of quantum dots”.

However, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences spokeswoman Eva Nevelius said in an email, “The Academy of Sciences has not yet met and there is no decision on who will be awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry.” 

Heiner Linke, an expert on the Nobel committee for chemistry, told Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter that if a press release had gone out, it would “definitely” have been a mistake.

The prize is all set to be announced at 11.45 am in Sweden (0945 GMT).

Physics and medicine prize

On Tuesday, the physics prize went to French-Swedish physicist Anne L'Huillier, French scientist Pierre Agostini and Hungarian-born Ferenc Krausz for producing the first split-second glimpse into the superfast world of spinning electrons.

On Monday, Hungarian-American Katalin Karikó and American Drew Weissman won the Nobel Prize in medicine for discoveries that enabled the creation of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

The announcement of the chemistry prize usually means Nobel season has reached its halfway stage. The prizes in literature, peace and economics will follow.

The Nobel Foundation raised the prize money by 10 per cent this year to 11 million kronor (about US$ 1 million).

In addition, winners receive an 18-carat gold medal and diploma when they collect their Nobel Prizes at the award ceremonies in December.

(With agency inputs)