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What happens when a Nobel Prize is not awarded in a particular year?
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Nobel Prize
The obverse side of the Nobel Prize medals for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Literature.
When a Nobel Prize is not awarded in a particular year, it may be withheld or reserved. This occurs if no candidate is found who meets the criteria established in Alfred Nobel’s will, or if global circumstances prevent the necessary gathering of information to reach a decision, as was the case during the World Wars.1
If a prize is withheld, it may be awarded the following year alongside that year’s prize. However, if the prize is not awarded during that subsequent year, the funds are paid back into the Nobel Foundation. This same process of returning the money to the funds occurs if a prize is neither awarded nor reserved, or if a prize is declined or not accepted by a set deadline.1