Nobel Prize Archive Screensaver
The Nobel Prize Archive screensaver rotates through real Nobel Prize laureates across every category and year, drawn live and key-less from the official Nobel Prize API. It's free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.
Live preview
Press ESC to leave fullscreen. Settings are saved in your browser only.
How the Nobel Prize Archive screensaver works
The saver queries the official Nobel Prize API for real laureate records, with no key required.
Each laureate's name, year, category and citation motivation displays in turn.
Filter to one category or rotate through the full real archive.
The most recent real laureates lead the rotation.
Nobel Prize records and what they leave out
The Nobel Prizes were established by the will of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist and inventor of dynamite, who died in 1896. The first prizes were presented in 1901. The economics prize came later: the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel was established through a donation from the Swedish central bank in 1968 and first awarded in 1969. It is a separate award from the original five, though it is announced alongside them.
The Nobel Prize organisation publishes an open API listing laureates with the year, category, a motivation stating what the prize was awarded for and, in many cases, biographical details. No more than three people can share a prize, and only the Peace Prize can go to an organisation, such as the Red Cross. Some years had no award in a category, so laureate counts vary by year.
The motivation is a short statement from the awarding body, so it summarises the achievement rather than capturing the full story of the work or the people. Nomination records stay sealed for fifty years, so the archive does not reveal who else was considered. Winners are announced in the first weeks of October, so entries for the newest year appear only after that announcement.
A worked example
You might see 2023 · Physics with the real laureate's name and the official motivation for their prize — straight from the Nobel Foundation's own records.
Settings & tips
- Category narrows the rotation to one Nobel Prize field.
- Accent recolours the laureate name.
- Prize announcements happen once a year, each October — the archive itself is always available.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this official data?
- Yes — it comes directly from the Nobel Prize Foundation's own public API.
- Is a key needed?
- No — the Nobel Prize API is free and key-less.
- Does it include this year's winners?
- Yes, as soon as the Foundation publishes them in the real archive.
- Is it free?
- Yes — free, no download, in your browser.
- How many people can share one Nobel Prize?
- No more than three individuals can share a prize. Only the Peace Prize can also go to an organisation.
- Is economics a real Nobel Prize?
- It is officially the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. It was established by a donation from the Swedish central bank in 1968, first awarded in 1969, and was not part of Nobel's original will, although it is announced with the others.
- When are the winners announced?
- They are announced in October each year. The prizes are presented around 10 December, mostly in Stockholm, with the Peace Prize presented in Oslo.