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What happens to the Nobel Prize money when a winner declines an award?
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Nobel Prize
The obverse side of the Nobel Prize medals for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Literature.
If a Nobel Prize is declined or not accepted before a set deadline, the associated prize money is returned to the Nobel Foundation funds.1
While some laureates who were forced to decline their awards due to external pressureāsuch as government mandatesāhave later been granted their gold medals and diplomas, the monetary portion of the prize invariably reverts to the foundation's funds after a certain period of time. Even when an individual declines the award, they are still officially recorded in the list of Nobel laureates with a notation indicating that they declined the prize.1