How does the Nobel Prize in Literature selection process work?

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   Nobel Prize in Literature (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaPublished Oct 9, 2026Checked Oct 10, 2026

   “The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning for Literature (Swedish: Nobelpriset i litteratur), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words of Alfred Nobel, "in the field of literature, produced the most outstanding work in an idealistic direction". Though individual works are sometimes cited as being particularly noteworthy, the award is based on an author's body of work as a whole. The Swedish Academy decides who, if anyone, will receive the prize. The academy announces the name of the laureate in early October. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895. Literature is traditionally the final award presented at the Nobel Prize ceremony. On some occasions, the award has been postponed to the following year, most recently in 2018.”

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   Controversies in Selecting Nobel Laureates: An Historical Commentary.

   Rambam Maimonides medical journal (Lichtman)Published Jul 31, 2022Checked Oct 10, 2026

   “A few were errors of omission (e.g. Tolstoy, Tesla, Edison, Best, Gandhi, Franklin), some errors of commission (e.g. Fibiger, Moniz); but, given the complexity of the task, the error rate is small. In some cases, the conclusion that an error had been made is debatable. Such decisions are difficult. Arne Tiselius, a Nobel laureate in chemistry and President of the Nobel Foundation said that one cannot in practice apply the principle that the Nobel Prize should be given to the person who is best; it is impossible to define who is best. Hence, there is only one alternative: to try to find a particularly worthy candidate. This paper includes a brief review of the integration of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, established in 1968, and added to the original five Nobel Prizes; the prize was first awarded in 1969. A short discussion on the absence of a Nobel Prize in mathematics is provided. Adaptations to the development of "big" science, especially in physics, may require the Nobel Foundation to extend its limit of no more than three awardees for the prize in physics and, perhaps, other scientific disciplines.”

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   How the Nobel Committee for Chemistry Has Shaped the Nobel Prize: Historical Trends Based on the Nobel Prize Nomination Archive.

   ACS omega (Seeman et al.)Published May 13, 2025Checked Oct 10, 2026

   “The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is governed by the Nobel Foundation's rules and managed by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences via its Nobel Committee for Chemistry. Despite 125 years of awarding these prizes and increased transparency from the Nobel Foundation, many aspects of the selection process remain obscure. Our analysis of the Nobel Prize Nomination Archive from 1901 to 1970 reveals that the decisions were heavily influenced by the personal and professional biases of the members of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, who were not only responsible for inviting and assessing nominations but also for presenting recommendations to the Academy. Nobel laureates also significantly influenced the process due to their right to make ongoing nominations. The study suggests ways to improve the nomination and selection process to better reflect the evolving nature of chemistry in the 21st century.”

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   'Bold and inventive' Canadian poet Anne Carson wins Nobel Literature Prize

   BBC NewsPublished Oct 8, 2026Checked Oct 10, 2026

   “Carson, 76, is celebrated for works that often cross boundaries between poetry, fiction and scholarship.”