The people this year’s Nobel Prizes left out
This article examines the limitations of the Nobel Prize selection process, specifically the rule restricting awards to a maximum of three recipients. It highlights several prominent scientists who contributed to the development of optogenetics but were excluded from this year's prize.
Why it matters
It sheds light on the systemic flaws in prestigious academic awards that often overlook collaborative contributions in favor of singular breakthroughs.
Winning a Nobel Prize is a matter of great prestige. Winning a Nobel Prize also means the award going to a small number of people while a large number are left out, even if they really deserved to win.
This is partly because of the prizes’ rules. Alfred Nobel’s will said nothing about the number of people that can be awarded at one time but the Nobel Foundation’s statutes limit each prize to at most three people at a time, and no one that has died by the time a prize is announced. Also, scientists need to have been nominated by nominators who have their own eligibility criteria.
A big-picture view of the science Nobel Prizes through history brings another pattern into view: a preference for singular breakthroughs rather than lifetime achievements.
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