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Begun in 1901, the '''Nobel Prize''' has been the highest honor for achievements in [[physics]], [[chemistry]], [[medicine]] or [[physiology]], [[literature]] and [[peace]]. [[Economics]] was added as a prize in 1969.

The '''Nobel Prize''' is a well-known award for achievements in [[physics]], [[chemistry]], [[medicine]] or [[physiology]], [[literature]], [[peace]] and [[economics]], though the latter is technically not a "real" Nobel Prize. With the exception of Economics, the Nobel Prizes were first given out in 1901. The award for [[economics]], the "Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel", had been added as a prize in 1969.<ref name="NobelHistory">The Nobel Foundation: [http://nobelprize.org/nobelfoundation/history/lemmel/index.html History]</ref>

Some feel the selection process has become political.

To nominate somebody for a Nobel Prize, the nominating party must meet the requirements outlined for the specific category or has to be invited.<ref name="NobelNomination">The Nobel Foundation: [http://nobelprize.org/nomination/nomination_facts.html Nomination Facts]</ref>

The Nobel Prizes are represented externally by the Nobel Foundation, a private institution entrusted with protecting the common interests of the Prize Awarding Institutions. However, the Nobel Foundation is not involved with the selection process itself. The Prize-Awarding Institutes are independent of government agencies and the Nobel Foundation itself.<ref name="NobelHistory"/>

In at least two cases, the Nobel Prize was denied to persons who contributed greatly to a discovery that was eventually awared with a Nobel Prize. One omission was for the British physicist [[Fred Hoyle]]. He was the leader{{fact}} on the project recognized with a Nobel Prize<ref>1983 Nobel Prize in Physics, which went to his coworker [[William Alfred Fowler]] and [[Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar]] for "his theoretical and experimental studies of the nuclear reactions of importance in the formation of the chemical elements in the universe" and "his theoretical studies of the physical processes of importance to the structure and evolution of the stars" respectively</ref>, but he was omitted from the recipients. Hoyle was an outspoken critic of the theories of [[chemical evolution]].<ref>Fred Hoyle, The Big Bang in Astronomy, in New Scientist, November 19, 1981.</ref>

Another omission was for [[Raymond Damadian]], another critic of the theory of evolution{{fact}}, who invented the [[Magnetic Resonance Imaging]] (MRI) scanner, but was omitted from the award relating to that accomplishment.<ref>http://whyfiles.org/188nobel_mri/</ref><ref>[http://chronicle.com/free/v50/i11/11a01401.htm Prize Fight]</ref>

Over the years, there have been cases in which some people felt that a person should have received a Nobel Prize for his or her work.

Recently, there have been proponents of an alternate scientific award given to scientists who support [[Biblical]] principles.{{fact}}

{{QuoteBox|Up to 1960, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded almost exclusively to Europeans and Americans. In retrospect, the horizon of the Norwegian Nobel Committee may seem too narrow. Gandhi was very different from earlier Laureates. He was no real politician or proponent of international law, not primarily a humanitarian relief worker and not an organiser of international peace congresses. He would have belonged to a new breed of Laureates.}}

 

A case in which a scientist openly voiced that he should have received a Nobel Prize was [[Raymond Damadian]]. In 2003, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to [[Paul Lauterbur]] and [[Peter Mansfield]] "for their discoveries concerning magnetic resonance imaging".<ref>The Nobel Foundation: [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2003/index.html The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2003]</ref> Damadian, who had outlined the use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance to detect tumors in 1971, protested against his omission from the Prize and said that his "life's work has been stricken". He then took out full-page ads in several newspapers, describing his omission as a "shameful wrong". The first wave of ads appeared in [[The Washington Post]], the [[Los Angeles Times]], Dagens Nyheter (daily newspaper in Stockholm), and [[The New York Times]].<ref>The Chronicle: [http://chronicle.com/free/v50/i11/11a01401.htm Prize Fight]</ref>

 

A possible explanation of Damadian's exclusion could be that, even though it was one of the pioneers of using magnetic resonance in medicine, his work did not lead to the magnetic resonance ''imaging'' the Nobel Prize was awarded for.<ref>The Why Files: [http://whyfiles.org/188nobel_mri/2.html Nobel Prizefight]</ref>

 

However, there are others who argue that he did not receive a Nobel Prize because of his views. Damadian is a [[Young Earth Creationism|Young Earth Creationist]], leading some to conclude that this influenced the selection process.<ref>Creation on the Web: [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/978/ Super-scientist slams society’s spiritual sickness!]</ref>

==References==

==References==

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