The 52 women who have won a Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prize is one of the most prestigious awards in the world. The Nobel Foundation awards six awards each year to the most outstanding men and women in various disciplines: Chemistry, Physics, Literature, Medicine, Economics and for Peace.

Since the Nobel Prize was first awarded in 1901, and to date, a total of 52 women have received it. Her outstanding work in each of the awarded areas has made their names go down in history within the list of women who have received a Nobel Prize.

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Meet the women who have received a Nobel Prize

There are several institutions and organizations involved in the awarding of the Nobel Prize. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, The Swedish Academy, The Norwegian Nobel Committee form the Nobel Prize committee that decides year after year to whom to award the award.

The women who have received the Nobel Prize have in common the struggle and discipline to achieve their goals. They have covered practically all the disciplines for which one can be awarded this renowned Nobel Prize.

1. Marie Curie (1903)

Marie Curie was the first woman in history to receive the Nobel Prize. Specifically, Madame Curie was awarded in the Physics category. She obtained it together with her husband for her research on radiation phenomena. A pioneer with a specific weight in the field of science.

2. Bertha Von Suttner (1905)

Bertha Von Suttner was the first woman to receive a Nobel Peace Prize. She was honorary president of the International Peace Office and thanks to her work there, she was recognized with this enormous merit.

3. Selma Lagerlöf (1909)

Selma Lagerlöf won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1909. With this she became the first woman to obtain it in this discipline.

4. Marie Curie (1911)

Marie Curie is the only woman to have won a Nobel Prize twice. The second occasion was thanks to her discovery of radium and polonium.

5. Grazia Deledda (1926)

Grazia Deledda was an Italian writer recognized for her great talent. The Swedish Academy awarded her the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1926.

6. Sigrid Undset (1928)

Sigrid Undset, a Norwegian-born author, won the Nobel Prize for literature in that year. This recognition was for her work on Norse life during the Middle Ages.

7. Jane Addams (1931)

Jane Addams in 1931 won the Nobel Peace Prize. Thanks to her work within the International League of Women for Peace and Freedom, where she carried out activism for society and promoting feminism.

8. Iréne Joliot-Curie (1935)

Iréne Joliot-Curie, daughter of Marie Curie, also won a Nobel Prize. It is the only case in the history of the Nobel Prize where mother and daughter obtain this recognition. Irene Joliot-Curie obtained it for her research in Chemistry.

9. Pearl S. Buck (1938)

Pearl S. Buck was an American writer. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, thanks to her work on Chinese peasant life and her biographical works.

10. Gabriela Mistral (1945)

Gabriela Mistral is the first woman of Latin American origin to obtain the Nobel Prize. This great Chilean writer and poet obtained recognition in the discipline of Literature.

11. Emily Greene Balch (1946)

Emily Greene Balch was a sociologist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1946. Her works for feminism in the International League of Women for Peace and Freedom are what made her obtain this recognition.

12. Gerty Theresa Cori (1947)

Gerty Theresa Cori was a biochemist and she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1947. Her work and the discovery of the process of the catalytic conversion of glycocene, is what earned her this Nobel Prize.

13. Maria Goeppert-Mayer (1963)

Maria Goeppert-Mayer is one of the few women to win a Nobel Prize in Physics. Maria Goeppert was a theoretical physicist who made discoveries about the nuclear layer structure.

14. Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin (1964)

Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964. This recognition was obtained thanks to his research that helped determine by means of X-rays, the structures of biochemical substances.

15. Nelly Sachs (1966)

Nelly Sachs won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Of German origin and based in Sweden, this great writer stood out for her lyrical and dramatic characteristic, present in her work.

16. Betty Williams (1976)

Betty Williams won the Nobel Peace Prize. She, together with Mairead Maguire, founded the Northern Ireland Peace Movement, and thanks to her efforts and the work carried out, the Nobel Foundation granted them recognition.

17. Mairead Maguire (1976)

Mairead Maguire, along with Betty Williams, won the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize. Through the Northern Ireland Peace Movement they carried out work to find peaceful solutions to the Northern Irish armed conflict.

18. Rosalyn Sussman Yalow (1977)

Rosalyn Sussman Yalow was a prominent American physicist. In 1977 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for the development of the radioimmunoassay of peptide hormones.

19. Mother Teresa (1979)

Mother Teresa of Calcutta was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Through the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa carried out tireless humanitarian work, for this reason she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

20. Alva Myrdal (1982)

Alva Myrdal of Swedish origin, was a prominent Swedish diplomat. As a result of her first book where she spoke of the importance of social policies for personal and female liberation, she gained great relevance. In 1982 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

21. Barbara McClintock (1983)

Barbara McClintock was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1983. Due to her tireless research, she made the discovery of mobile genetic elements, undoubtedly a great scientific contribution that earned her this Nobel Prize in Medicine.

22. Rita Levi-Montalcini (1986)

Rita Levi-Montalcini was a leading Italian neurologist. Following her discoveries of growth factors in the nervous system, her scientific community earned her the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

23. Gertrude B. Elion. (1988)

Gertrude B. Elion was an American biochemist and pharmacologist. She made discoveries about principles of drug treatment. For this reason, in 1988 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

24. Nadine Gordimer (1991)

Nadine Gordimer, of South African origin, won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Alfred Nobel himself recognized in her writing a great benefit for humanity, for this reason he was awarded her Prize in 1991.

25. Aung San Suu Kyi (1991)

Aung San Suu Kyi is a social fighter. Her work and her promotion for peace, non-violent struggle, democracy and human rights, led to her being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

26. Rigoberta Menchú (1992)

Rigoberta Menchú is a Guatemalan activist recognized for her work on behalf of indigenous peoples. In 1992 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize as a way of recognizing her effort for cultural reconciliation based on respect for indigenous peoples.

27. Toni Morrison (1993)

Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature. This great American writer shocked the world with her novels and her poetry that portrays the American reality. For this reason she was recognized for her great work.

28. Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard (1995)

Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard is another of the women who have won a Nobel Prize. Thanks to her discoveries about the genetic control of early embryonic development, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

29. Wislawa Szymborska (1996)

Wislawa Szymborska was a very notable Polish writer. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

30. Jody Williams (1997)

Jody Williams is an American teacher and activist. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to clean up and ban antipersonnel mines.

31. Shirin Ebadi (2003)

Shirin Ebadi from Iran is a woman who has won a Nobel Prize. Her work and her efforts for democracy and human rights, specifically focused on the The rights of women and children led the international community to award her the Nobel Prize for Peace.

32. Elfriede Jelinek (2003)

Elfriede Jelinek from Austria is an outstanding writer. In addition to novels, she made plays and, thanks to her linguistic neatness and the way she portrayed the absurdities of society, she was recognized with the Nobel Prize for Literature.

33. Wangari Maathai (2004)

Wangari Maathai, born in Kenya, won the Nobel Peace Prize. An outstanding woman and activist who, thanks to her contribution to democracy, peace and her work for sustainable development, obtained this recognition.

34. Linda B. Buck (2004)

Linda B. Buck is one of 52 women who have won a Nobel Prize. She made important discoveries about olfactory receptors and the olfactory system. It is for this reason that she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

35. Doris Lessing (2007)

Doris Lessing is an Iranian-born writer. Thanks to her literary work that reflects the female experience in a current civilization, she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007.

36. Francoise Barré Sinoussi (2008)

Francoise Barré Sinoussi, of French origin, is a leading scientist. Her greatest discovery was that of the human immunodeficiency virus, for which in 2008 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

37. Elizabeth Blackburn (2009)

Elizabeth Blackburn received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2009. This thanks to the discovery of the way in which chromosomes are protected by telometers and telomerase enzymes.

38. Carol W. Greider (2009)

Carol W. Greider received, along with Elizabeth Blackburn, the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2009. Teaming up with Elizabeth and Jack W. Szostak conducted the research that led to the discovery of telometers that protect chromosomes.

39. Ada E. Yonath (2009)

Ada E. Yonath, of Israeli origin, is another woman who has won a Nobel Prize. Thanks to the study of the structure and function of ribosomes, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

40. Herta Müller (2009)

Herta Müller is a Nobel Prize Winning Writer for Literature. Her work on her poetry earned Herta Müller this distinguished award.

41. Elinor Ostrom (2009)

Elinor Ostrom carried out important studies in the economic field. She is the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize in Economics, thanks to the analysis of economic governance.

42. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (2011)

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, along with two other prominent women, received the Nobel Peace Prize. Her country of origin is Liberia and her struggle without violence sought to guarantee the safety of women in this West African country.

43. Leymah Gbowee (2011)

Leymah Gbowee is another of the women who in 2011 received the Nobel Peace Prize. She defended the right of women to participate in peacebuilding efforts in Liberia.

44. Tawakel Karman (2011)

Tawakel Karman received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011. Together with Ellen and Leymah, she fought without violence to maintain the safety of women and their participation in political life.

45. Alice Munro (2013)

Alice Munro is an outstanding writer. Of Canadian origin, she is the first woman from this country to receive a Nobel Prize. Her work in contemporary short stories earned her the Nobel Prize for Literature.

46. May-Britt Moser (2014)

May-Britt Moser was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2014. Thanks to the discoveries of her cells in the brain's positioning system, together with John O'keefe and Edvard I. Moser, received this outstanding award.

47. Malala Yousafzai (2014)

Malala Yousafzai is a young Pakistani woman. Even at her young age, she has fought against the repression of children and young people and the restrictions in her country that limit access to education. She for this reason she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

48. Your Youyou (2015)

Your youyou is the first Chinese woman to receive a Nobel Prize. Her work on the discoveries of a new antimalarial therapy earned her the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

49. Svetlana Aleksievich (2015)

Svetlana Aleksievich is a writer of Ukrainian origin. She currently resides in Belarus and won the Nobel Prize for Literature thanks to the literary value of her work.

50. Donna Strickland (2018)

Donna Strickland is a Canadian-born scientist. She developed a method to generate high intensity ultra-short optical pulses. Thanks to this work she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

51. Frances Arnold (2018)

Frances Arnold is one of 52 outstanding women Nobel Prize winners. She conducted studies on enzymes and thanks to her directed evolution, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

52. Nadia Murad (2018)

Nadia Murad is an activist who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She from Iraq she has made efforts to end the use of sexual violence in wars and armed conflicts.

Bibliographic references

• Nobel Foundation. (2014). "Prize amount and market value of invested capital converted into 2013 year's monetary value".
• Wilhelm, Peter. (1983). The Nobel Prize. Springwood Books.