Nobel Prize 2026: How much is the prize money in Indian Rupees, how has it been shared by the joint winners, how has the amount changed | Today’s news
Alfred Nobel, a Swedish inventor, engineer and industrialist, signed his famous will on November 27, 1895, a year before his death. In it, he stipulated that the majority of his fortune should be used to create a fund whose proceeds would finance prizes for people who have brought “the greatest benefit to mankind”.
Nobel ordered that more than SEK 31 million of his fortune should be turned into a fund and invested in “safe securities”. Income from these investments would be distributed annually as prizes.
The 2026 Nobel Prize winners will receive SEK 12 million for each full Nobel Prize, an increase of SEK 1 million compared to last year. At an exchange rate of approx ₹9.60 per SEK on October 6, 2026, the reward for 2026 will be approx. ₹11.52 crore for the price.
The increase comes as the Nobel Foundation marks the 125th anniversary of the first Nobel Prizes, which were first awarded in 1901.
The Nobel Prize is awarded in six categories — Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Peace and Economic Sciences.
The conversion in 2026 will consume approximately SEK 1 = ₹9.60 on October 6, 2026. The value of the rupee will fluctuate with the exchange rate.
Simply put, the laureate who receives the entire 2026 Nobel Prize will receive SEK 12 million, or roughly ₹11.5 million before any taxes or other deductions.
How Nobel Prize money has evolved over the years
When the first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901, each prize was worth SEK 150,782. Alfred Nobel stipulated in his will that most of his fortune should be invested and the proceeds used to fund the prizes.
The amount of the nominal price varied considerably over the following decades.
By 2000, the price had risen to SEK 9 million, and in 2001 it was raised to SEK 10 million. It remained at SEK 10 million for more than ten years.
The foundation subsequently reduced the price to SEK 8 million in 2012 as part of a wider effort to strengthen its finances. Later she started increasing the amount again.
Major recent milestones have been:
Summary in INR terms
1901 real value today: ≈ ₹10.3 million.
Lowest actual value (end of 1910): ≈ ₹2.9 million.
1991 restoration: ≈ ₹10.4 million.
Maximum actual value (early 2000s): ≈ ₹14–15 million crowns.
Price 2025: SEK 11 million ≈ ₹10.5 million.
Price 2026: SEK 12 million ≈ ₹11.4 million (at the same conversion).
Read also | Karl Deisseroth and other winners of the Nobel Prize in Medicine: Who are they?
What happens when there are joint Nobel Prize winners?
Up to three laureates can share the Nobel Prize. Winning does not automatically mean that each winner will receive one-third.
Nobel Foundation rules allow the prize to be split between two works or shared by two or three people. No Nobel Prize can be shared between more than three people.
In practice, there are several options:
If one person wins the prize, the winner will receive the full SEK 12 million.
That would be approx ₹11.52 crore as per current exchange rate.
If the two laureates were to share the entire prize equally, each would receive SEK 6 million, i.e. approx. ₹5.76 million crowns.
If the three laureates were to share the prize equally, they would each receive SEK 4 million, i.e. approx. ₹3.84 million crowns.
However, the prize can also be structured differently when the Nobel Committee recognizes individual contributions.
For example, in 2024 David Baker won half the prize, while Demis Hassabis and John Jumper jointly won the other half. This meant that Baker received one half, while Hassabis and Jumper each received one quarter.
The same structure was used for the 2025 Economic Sciences Prize: Joel Mokyr received half, while Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt jointly received the other half.
Why
Read also | The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Francis Halzen for space research
money is only part of the Nobel Prize
A monetary award is one of the components of the Nobel Prize. Laureates will also receive a Nobel medal and a personal diploma. The award is formally presented during the Nobel ceremonies on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.