For stock investors, authoritative, professional, timely and comprehensive analyst research reports help uncover potential thematic opportunities. The Nobel Prize award amount has increased once again.

According to CCTV News reports, the 2026 Nobel Prize awards will be announced from October 5 to 12. The Nobel Foundation has decided to increase each Nobel Prize award by 1 million Swedish kronor this year, bringing it to 12 million Swedish kronor (approximately 8.15 million yuan).

Back in 2023, the per-category Nobel Prize amount had already risen from 10 million Swedish kronor to 11 million Swedish kronor, and this year it has once again set a new record high. Over the past 125 years, the Nobel Prize has been awarded to more than 1,000 laureates. Despite the growing amounts, the prize money has not been exhausted — instead, it has grown even larger.

An increase of more than 200 times

In 1895, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, then 63 years old, drew up his will establishing the Nobel Prize with his life savings, to honor those who have made outstanding contributions to humanity. He passed away the following year. It was not until June 29, 1900, that the Nobel Foundation was formally established with approval from the Swedish Parliament; and in 1901, the Nobel Prize was awarded for the first time.

The initial funds Nobel donated in his will amounted to only about 31 million Swedish kronor. That sum alone would clearly not have been enough to award prizes to more than 1,000 people over more than 100 years. However, thanks to the Nobel Foundation's successful financial management and operations over more than a century, according to its 2025 annual report, as of the end of 2025, the Nobel Foundation's assets had reached 6.744 billion Swedish kronor — an increase of more than 200 times compared to the initial capital.

At the same time, the Nobel Prize amount has continued to rise. The first laureates in 1901 received 150,000 Swedish kronor each. In 2020, the per-category Nobel Prize amount was increased to 10 million Swedish kronor. Starting in 2023, the per-category Nobel Prize amount rose to 11 million Swedish kronor, and this year it has further increased to 12 million Swedish kronor.

Today, the Nobel Prize is not only the world's most renowned award, but also one of the most successfully operated investment awards in human history.

Why does it pay out more and more?

In fact, the Nobel Foundation's investments were initially quite conservative, mainly in low-risk products such as government bonds. As a result, during the first 50 years after the Nobel Prize was established, the return on its assets was generally only 2%-3%. This single-asset investment strategy made the Nobel Foundation's finances increasingly tight. Combined with currency depreciation and inflation, by 1945, the real purchasing power of the per-category prize amount had shrunk by more than 70% compared to 1901.

The turning point came in the early 1950s, when the Swedish government lifted investment restrictions on the Nobel Foundation, allowing it to invest in stocks and real estate. The Nobel Foundation's investment strategy gradually shifted from conservative to more aggressive, moving from a single asset type to diversified allocation, and continuously adjusting according to market conditions. For example, starting in the 1980s, the Nobel Foundation followed the U.S. stock market bull run in its investments. As U.S. stocks surged at the time, the foundation's returns also rose substantially. By the end of 1987, the total market value of the foundation's U.S. stock assets reached 1.287 billion Swedish kronor. By the end of 1999, the total market value of the Nobel Foundation's assets had reached 3.938 billion Swedish kronor.

As assets grew, the Nobel Prize amounts also began to climb steadily: in 1981, the prize for each category was 1 million Swedish kronor, and by 2001 it had increased to 10 million Swedish kronor, remaining at that level for more than a decade.

But when markets perform poorly, the prize amount can also decline. In 2011, due to a broad downturn in global stock markets, the Nobel Foundation's stock investments lost more than 19 million Swedish kronor. As a result, in 2012, the prize for each category was reduced from 10 million Swedish kronor to 8 million Swedish kronor. However, as global stock markets recovered, the prize amount increased again in 2017 to 9 million Swedish kronor.

In addition to stocks, the foundation also began increasing its investments in hedge funds. As of the end of 2025, the foundation's invested capital allocation was: equity funds 56%, alternative assets 22%, fixed-income assets and cash 13%, and real estate and infrastructure funds 8%. According to the Nobel Foundation's 2025 report, over the past five and ten years, the average annual return on the foundation's total investments was 7.7% and 7.6%, respectively.

Clearly, through sound investing, the foundation has managed to pay out more and more prize money. Lars Heikensten, a doctor of economics who once served as executive director of the Nobel Foundation, said that managing the Nobel Fund is not just about fulfilling Nobel's last wish, but is a mission for all humanity. "As long as the Nobel Fund is managed well, it will be humanity's heritage."