As you may already know, every year the Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm. The ceremony is usually held in December, but the Nobel Prize winners will be announced next week! Sounds like a good reason to celebrate, doesn’t it?
How was the Nobel Prize born?
Alfred Nobel was a prolific Swedish engineer and inventor who became rich especially thanks to the many inventions in the field of armaments and explosives (the dynamite was one of his ideas!). He was very wealthy and well-known all around Europe, having patented 355 inventions, many of which were used worldwide.
One day, soon after the death of his brother, he read in a French newspaper an article titled “The merchant of death is dead”: the author thought that it was Alfred who died, when in fact it was his brother Ludvig. This deeply disconcerted Alfred, making him wonder how he would have been remembered. In the end, he decided to donate almost all of his fortune to fund the Nobel Foundation, a non-profit organisation in charge of giving a series of prizes to those who confer the “greatest benefit on mankind” in science, literature and peace matters (the Peace Prize is actually awarded in Oslo, Norway).
What is the Nobel Calling week?
This year’s Nobel Prize winners will be announced between the 7th and 14th of October, and from the 3rd to the 10th of October Stockholm will house a ton of events celebrating science, literature and the search for peace. In particular, they will be organised by the Nobel Prize Museum in collaboration with many Swedish institutions, such as universities, libraries, and cultural centres.
During this week, KTH will arrange different activities, ranging from open lectures to laboratory tours. You can find more information on KTH’s Nobel Calling programme on the university website. Also, from the 4th of October to the 16th of December, it will be possible to visit an exhibition at KTH Library!
What’s next?
The Nobel Prize ceremony will be held at Konserthuset, in Stockholm, on the 10th of December. The prizes will be awarded to the winners directly by the King of Sweden and, soon after the ceremony, a grand banquet will be held at Stockholm City Hall. I really can’t wait to experience all the hustle and bustle of the city during those days!
Stay tuned for next week’s blog post, where I’ll show you the pictures I took during the lab tours!
// Lorenzo
I have worked hard to save some money and maybe study the Master’s programme in Nuclear Energy Engineering at KTH. I got $ 35k but I think it’s not enough for covering living costs. Is there any programme or maybe can I work part-time in Sweden?
Hej Josué, thanks for your message.
It is certainly possible to find part-time jobs in Stockholm, and if you are interested you can also have a look at the KTH Scholarships webpage. The life cost really does depend on you lifestyle, you can find some more info in this 2022 blog post.
Hope to see you soon in Sweden! If you need any more help just ask.
Lorenzo