<P> The Nobel Prizes are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institute, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals who make outstanding contributions in the fields of Chemistry, Physics, Literature, Peace, Physiology or Medicine and Economics . All but the economics prize were established by the 1895 will of Alfred Nobel, which dictates that the awards should be administered by the Nobel Foundation . The Nobel prize in Economics, or The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, was established in 1968 by the Sveriges Riksbank, the central bank of Sweden, for outstanding contributions in the field of Economics . Each prize is awarded by a separate committee; the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awards the Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, and Economics, the Swedish Academy awards the Prize in Literature, the Karolinska Institute awards the Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee awards the Prize in Peace . Each recipient receives a medal, a diploma and a cash prize that has varied throughout the years . </P> <P> As of 2015, Nobel Prizes have been awarded to 822 men, 48 women, and 26 organizations . Sixteen women have won the Nobel Peace Prize, fourteen have won the Nobel Prize in Literature, twelve have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, four have won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, two have won the Nobel Prize in Physics and one, Elinor Ostrom, has won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences . The first woman to win a Nobel Prize was Marie Curie, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 with her husband, Pierre Curie, and Henri Becquerel . Curie is also the only woman to have won multiple Nobel Prizes; in 1911, she won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry . Curie's daughter, Irène Joliot - Curie, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935, making the two the only mother - daughter pair to have won Nobel Prizes . The most Nobel Prizes awarded to women in a single year was in 2009, when five women became laureates . The most recent women to be awarded a Nobel Prize were Tu Youyou and Svetlana Alexievich (2015). </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Year </Th> <Th> Image </Th> <Th> Laureate </Th> <Th> Country </Th> <Th> </Th> <Th> Rationale </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1903 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Curie, Marie Skłodowska Marie Skłodowska Curie (shared with Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel) </Td> <Td> Poland and France </Td> <Td> Physics </Td> <Td> "in recognition of the extraordinary services they have rendered by their joint researches on the radiation phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1905 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Suttner, Bertha von Bertha von Suttner </Td> <Td> Austria--Hungary </Td> <Td> Peace </Td> <Td> Honorary President of Permanent International Peace Bureau, Bern, Switzerland; Author of Lay Down Your Arms . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1909 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Lagerlof, Selma Selma Lagerlöf </Td> <Td> Sweden </Td> <Td> Literature </Td> <Td> "in appreciation of the lofty idealism, vivid imagination and spiritual perception that characterize her writings" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1911 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Curie, Marie Skłodowska Marie Skłodowska Curie </Td> <Td> Poland and France </Td> <Td> Chemistry </Td> <Td> "for her discovery of radium and polonium" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1926 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Deledda, Grazia Grazia Deledda </Td> <Td> Italy </Td> <Td> Literature </Td> <Td> "for her idealistically inspired writings which with plastic clarity picture the life on her native island and with depth and sympathy deal with human problems in general" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1928 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Undset, Sigrid Sigrid Undset </Td> <Td> Norway </Td> <Td> Literature </Td> <Td> "principally for her powerful descriptions of Northern life during the Middle Ages" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1931 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Addams, Jane Jane Addams (shared with Nicholas Murray Butler) </Td> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Peace </Td> <Td> Sociologist; International President, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1935 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Joliot - Curie, Irene Irène Joliot - Curie (shared with Frédéric Joliot - Curie) </Td> <Td> France </Td> <Td> Chemistry </Td> <Td> "for their synthesis of new radioactive elements" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1938 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Buck, Pearl S. Pearl S. Buck </Td> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Literature </Td> <Td> "for her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China and for her biographical masterpieces" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1945 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Mistral, Gabriela Gabriela Mistral </Td> <Td> Chile </Td> <Td> Literature </Td> <Td> "for her lyric poetry which, inspired by powerful emotions, has made her name a symbol of the idealistic aspirations of the entire Latin American world" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1946 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Balch, Emily Greene Emily Greene Balch (shared with John Raleigh Mott) </Td> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Peace </Td> <Td> Formerly Professor of History and Sociology; Honorary International President, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1947 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Cori, Gerty Theresa Gerty Theresa Cori (shared with Carl Ferdinand Cori and Bernardo Houssay) </Td> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Physiology or Medicine </Td> <Td> "for their discovery of the course of the catalytic conversion of glycogen" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1963 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Goeppert - Mayer, Maria Maria Goeppert - Mayer (shared with J. Hans D. Jensen and Eugene Wigner) </Td> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Physics </Td> <Td> "for their discoveries concerning nuclear shell structure" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1964 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Hodgkin, Dorothy Crowfoot Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin </Td> <Td> United Kingdom </Td> <Td> Chemistry </Td> <Td> "for her determinations by X-ray techniques of the structures of important biochemical substances" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1966 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sachs, Nelly Nelly Sachs (shared with Samuel Agnon) </Td> <Td> Sweden and Germany </Td> <Td> Literature </Td> <Td> "for her outstanding lyrical and dramatic writing, which interprets Israel's destiny with touching strength" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1976 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Williams, Betty Betty Williams </Td> <Td> United Kingdom </Td> <Td> Peace </Td> <Td> Founder of the Northern Ireland Peace Movement (later renamed Community of Peace People) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Maguire, Mairead Mairead Maguire </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1977 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sussman Yalow, Rosalyn Rosalyn Sussman Yalow (shared with Roger Guillemin and Andrew Schally) </Td> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Physiology or Medicine </Td> <Td> "for the development of radioimmunoassays of peptide hormones" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1979 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Teresa, Mother Mother Teresa </Td> <Td> India and Yugoslavia </Td> <Td> Peace </Td> <Td> Leader of Missionaries of Charity, Calcutta . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1982 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Myrdal, Alva Alva Myrdal (shared with Alfonso García Robles) </Td> <Td> Sweden </Td> <Td> Peace </Td> <Td> Former Cabinet Minister; Diplomat; Writer . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> McClintock, Barbara Barbara McClintock </Td> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Physiology or Medicine </Td> <Td> "for her discovery of mobile genetic elements" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1986 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Levi - Montalcini, Rita Rita Levi - Montalcini (shared with Stanley Cohen) </Td> <Td> Italy and United States </Td> <Td> Physiology or Medicine </Td> <Td> "for their discoveries of growth factors" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Elion, Gertrude B. Gertrude B. Elion (shared with James W. Black and George H. Hitchings) </Td> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Physiology or Medicine </Td> <Td> "for their discoveries of important principles for drug treatment" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1991 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Gordimer, Nadine Nadine Gordimer </Td> <Td> South Africa </Td> <Td> Literature </Td> <Td> "who through her magnificent epic writing has - in the words of Alfred Nobel - been of very great benefit to humanity" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Suu Kyi, Aung San Aung San Suu Kyi </Td> <Td> Burma </Td> <Td> Peace </Td> <Td> "for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Menchu, Rigoberta Rigoberta Menchú </Td> <Td> Guatemala </Td> <Td> Peace </Td> <Td> "in recognition of her work for social justice and ethno - cultural reconciliation based on respect for the rights of indigenous peoples" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Morrison, Toni Toni Morrison </Td> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Literature </Td> <Td> "who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1995 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Nusslein - Volhard, Christiane Christiane Nüsslein - Volhard (shared with Edward B. Lewis and Eric F. Wieschaus) </Td> <Td> Germany </Td> <Td> Physiology or Medicine </Td> <Td> "for their discoveries concerning the genetic control of early embryonic development" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Szymborska, Wislawa Wisława Szymborska </Td> <Td> Poland </Td> <Td> Literature </Td> <Td> "for poetry that with ironic precision allows the historical and biological context to come to light in fragments of human reality" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Williams, Jody Jody Williams (shared with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines) </Td> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Peace </Td> <Td> "for their work for the banning and clearing of anti-personnel mines" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2003 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Ebadi, Shirin Shirin Ebadi </Td> <Td> Iran </Td> <Td> Peace </Td> <Td> "for her efforts for democracy and human rights . She has focused especially on the struggle for the rights of women and children" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Jelinek, Elfriede Elfriede Jelinek </Td> <Td> Austria </Td> <Td> Literature </Td> <Td> "for her musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that with extraordinary linguistic zeal reveal the absurdity of society's clichés and their subjugating power" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Maathai, Wangari Wangari Maathai </Td> <Td> Kenya </Td> <Td> Peace </Td> <Td> "for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Buck, Linda B. Linda B. Buck (shared with Richard Axel) </Td> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Physiology or Medicine </Td> <Td> "for their discoveries of odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2007 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Lessing, Doris Doris Lessing </Td> <Td> United Kingdom </Td> <Td> Literature </Td> <Td> "that epicist of the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2008 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Barre - Sinoussi, Francoise Françoise Barré - Sinoussi (shared with Harald zur Hausen and Luc Montagnier) </Td> <Td> France </Td> <Td> Physiology or Medicine </Td> <Td> "for their discovery of HIV, human immunodeficiency virus" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2009 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Blackburn, Elizabeth Elizabeth Blackburn (shared with Jack W. Szostak) </Td> <Td> Australia and United States </Td> <Td> Physiology or Medicine </Td> <Td> "for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Greider, Carol W. Carol W. Greider (shared with Jack W. Szostak) </Td> <Td> United States </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Yonath, Ada E. Ada E. Yonath (shared with Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas A. Steitz) </Td> <Td> Israel </Td> <Td> Chemistry </Td> <Td> "for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Muller, Herta Herta Müller </Td> <Td> Germany and Romania </Td> <Td> Literature </Td> <Td> "who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Ostrom, Elinor Elinor Ostrom (shared with Oliver E. Williamson) </Td> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Economics </Td> <Td> "for her analysis of economic governance, especially the commons" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2011 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Johnson Sirleaf, Ellen Ellen Johnson Sirleaf </Td> <Td> Liberia </Td> <Td> Peace </Td> <Td> "For their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace - building work" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Gbowee, Leymah Leymah Gbowee </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Karman, Tawakel Tawakel Karman </Td> <Td> Yemen </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2013 </Td> <Td> <P> </P> </Td> <Td> Munro, Alice Alice Munro </Td> <Td> Canada </Td> <Td> Literature </Td> <Td> "master of the contemporary short story" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> <P> </P> </Td> <Td> Moser, May - Britt May - Britt Moser (shared with Edvard Moser and John O'Keefe) </Td> <Td> Norway </Td> <Td> Physiology or Medicine </Td> <Td> "for their discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Yousafzai, Malala Malala Yousafzai (shared with Kailash Satyarthi) </Td> <Td> Pakistan and India </Td> <Td> Peace </Td> <Td> "for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education". </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2015 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Youyou, Tu Tu Youyou (shared with William C. Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura) </Td> <Td> China </Td> <Td> Physiology or Medicine </Td> <Td> "for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against Malaria" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Alexievich, Svetlana Svetlana Alexievich </Td> <Td> Belarus </Td> <Td> Literature </Td> <Td> "for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time" </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Year </Th> <Th> Image </Th> <Th> Laureate </Th> <Th> Country </Th> <Th> </Th> <Th> Rationale </Th> </Tr>

Who was the first woman awarded the nobel peace prize