Nobel Prize Lesson for Kids: Definition, History, & Facts

Who doesn't like winning awards? The Nobel Prize is one of the most prestigious awards in the history of the world. Come and learn about what this prize is, its history and some people who have won it.

What is the Nobel Prize?

Have you ever won a prize, like a first place ribbon at a science fair or a trophy for winning a soccer tournament? An award or a prize is one way people have of recognizing each other for an outstanding achievement.

One of the most admired and respected awards in the world is the Nobel Prize, and receiving one is no easy feat. The Nobel Prize Foundation gives awards to people for intellectual achievements, like those who have conducted some awesome research, made an important discovery or even tried to bring peace to the world.

There are five different kinds of Nobel Prizes:

1.) Nobel Prize in Physics, or the study of energy and matter and how they relate to each other

2.) Nobel Prize in Chemistry

3.) Nobel Prize in Medicine

4.) Nobel Prize in Literature

5.) Nobel Peace Prize

The foundation also awards the Nobel Prize of Economic Science. However, it is not considered to be an official Nobel Prize because it is funded differently.

If you win a Nobel Prize, you get a beautiful gold medal. That's not all though; Nobel Prize winners also receive a large amount of money. Typically, their awards total around one million dollars each! Pretty cool, huh?

The Nobel Prize

How Did the Nobel Prize Come About?

Let's pretend that you grow up to be super rich. After you die, where would you want all your money to go? Would you want to leave it to your family? Would you want it to be used to build a school or a hospital? The possibilities are endless. Well, that's how the Nobel Prize got started.

There once was a man named Alfred Nobel. Before he passed away in 1896, he said he wanted his money to be used for awards given in his name. One million dollars per winner definitely requires some substantial funding! An organization called the Nobel Foundation was set up in order to make this happen. The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901, five years after Alfred Nobel passed away, and they are still being awarded today.

Alfred Nobel