Dashed left edge = started before December 2026 ·
Dashed right edge = ongoing beyond December 2026
Events in December 2026 6
2026Anne Carson wins the Nobel Prize in LiteratureNobel Prize in Literature 2026Anne Carson, for a bold and inventive body of work that reworks classical literature into new forms of contemporary writing. Carson is a Canadian poet, essayist, translator and classicist.
2026Francis Halzen wins the Nobel Prize in PhysicsNobel Prize in Physics 2026Francis Halzen, for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the detection of high-energy neutrinos from beyond the solar system. The Belgian-born American physicist led the experiment that turned a cubic kilometre of Antarctic ice into a neutrino detector.
2026Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai win the Nobel Prize in ChemistryNobel Prize in Chemistry 2026Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai, for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis — how a small excess of one mirror-image form of a molecule can be amplified into an almost pure product.
2026Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2026Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel, for discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics — the technique that switches nerve cells on and off with light.
2026Navi Pillay wins the Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace Prize 2026Navi Pillay, for her work for peace and international law, including making sure that war crimes and genocide are prosecuted. The South African judge presided over the Rwanda tribunal and served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
2026Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford win the Nobel Prize in Economic SciencesNobel Prize in Economic Sciences 2026Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford, for the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabilisation — how central banks and governments can steady the economy.