German scientists, writers, and peace activists have been frequently invited to Oslo and Stockholm for the Nobel Prize ceremonies, especially in the early 20th century. However, these invitations became less frequent after World War II. In total, 103 individuals with German roots have been awarded a Nobel Prize, and one has received the Alfred Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. The distinction is made because Henry Kissinger, the former U.S. Secretary of State, was born in Germany.

As of March 2025, the distribution of Nobel Prizes among Germans across the core fields and the memorial prize in economics is as follows:

• Literature: 10
• Peace Prize: 6
• Chemistry: 33
• Physics: 30
• Physiology and Medicine: 24
• Economic Sciences: 1

Source: Wikipedia

Some of the most notable German laureates include Willy Brandt, Henry Kissinger, Günter Grass, Thomas Mann, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, and Albert Einstein.

History of the Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prize was established in 1900 and first awarded in 1901. Alfred Nobel stipulated in his will that his estate be converted into a foundation, whose interest would annually honor individuals who have conferred the greatest benefit to humanity in the five core categories. The Nobel Prizes are currently endowed with a prize amount of 11 million Swedish kronor, equivalent to approximately 1.004 million euros, and can be divided among multiple laureates. It is common in the natural sciences for there to be multiple winners in a category.

The reason for Nobel’s choice of these disciplines cannot be fully understood today. Except for the Peace Prize, which is awarded in Oslo, all other ceremonies take place in Stockholm, Sweden, Nobel’s birthplace.

Willy Brandt’s Historic Gesture

One of the most notable recognitions was Willy Brandt’s for his Ostpolitik. In the 1960s and 1970s, Europe was still politically influenced by the memory of World War II. Our Eastern European neighbors, particularly Poland, struggled to reconcile with Germany. Brandt’s efforts to normalize relations between Poland and Germany led to a historic gesture during a wreath-laying ceremony in Warsaw, where he unexpectedly knelt to ask for forgiveness for German atrocities. This act achieved more for normalizing East-West relations than many political discussions before.

Gender Gap in the Nobel Prize

Generally, the number of female laureates is very low. The Tagesschau noted this in the context of the Physics Nobel Prize, where only 6.6% of winners are women. Out of 220 male winners, there are only five female winners, one of whom received the Literature Nobel Prize and another in Medicine in 1995. The fact that only one woman is among the natural sciences laureates likely correlates with the dominance of men in STEM fields. The assumption that there might be a higher density of women in medical research is also influenced by traditional role models. While women may have time for medical practice alongside family responsibilities, they often have less time for the highly demanding research required for Nobel-level achievements.

Other factors also play a role. In the early years of the Nobel Prize, it was uncommon for women to study, become scholars, and conduct research. The number of female winners has increased over the past 20 years, with most prizes awarded in peace and literature. The Tagesschau also highlighted that one reason for the lack of nominations is that women are less frequently cited and thus receive less attention.

Agnes Wold from the University of Gothenburg studied how the Swedish Research Council evaluated postdoctoral applications in 1995. The findings can be applied to Nobel Prize nominations as well. Wold concluded that simple male power structures are at play. Women allegedly publish less effectively, research in less exciting fields, and write weaker research proposals. It was found that women had to publish 2.6 times more to have similar chances (Source: Deutschlandfunk).

A 2022 study published in Nature demonstrated that women’s recognition is systematically denied. In publications, their names often do not appear, and their articles are frequently overlooked by male colleagues. A prominent example of female discrimination in the natural sciences is Lise Meitner. Otto Hahn is commonly credited with discovering nuclear fission and received the Nobel Prize for it, while Meitner, who collaborated with him and made the discovery, was overlooked. This was despite her 48 nominations (Source: Rheinische Post).