Who was the first Nobel Prize nominee from Belarus and what is known about compatriots-candidates from declassified archives

Who was born on the territory of Belarus but received the prize while living outside its borders

Jaures Alferov (1930—2019) was born in Vitebsk. The Soviet and Russian physicist received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2000 jointly with the German scientist Herbert Kroemer.

Half of the prize was awarded to them for the development of semiconductor heterostructures used in high-speed electronics and optoelectronics. The other half was received by American engineer Jack Kilby for his contribution to the invention of the integrated circuit. Alferov built his scientific career in the USSR and Russia.

Menachem Begin (1913—1992) was born in Brest-Litovsk — present-day Brest. He became Prime Minister of Israel and in 1978 received the Nobel Peace Prize together with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.

They were awarded the prize for negotiations that led to the signing of a peace treaty between the two countries. A significant stage of the negotiations was the Camp David Accords, concluded with the mediation of US President Jimmy Carter.

Shimon Peres (1923—2016) was born in the village of Vishnyeva, which is now located in the Minsk region. He served as Prime Minister and President of Israel, and headed the country's foreign policy department.

In 1994, Peres received the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for their efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East. The award was linked to the negotiation process that led to the signing of the Oslo Accords.

Eliza Orzeszkowa: The First Known Nominee from Belarus

The first known contender for the Nobel Prize, born on the territory of modern Belarus, was the Polish-speaking writer Eliza Orzeszkowa (1841—1910).

She was born in the Milkovshchina estate near Grodno and became one of the prominent representatives of Polish literature of the 19th century. A monument to Orzeszkowa is erected in Grodno, and her house-museum — an exact copy of the house where she lived and worked — operates on the street named after her.

In 1905, Orzeszkowa was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. According to published data, she received eight nominations and reached the final consideration along with Leo Tolstoy and Henryk Sienkiewicz.

Some committee members proposed sharing the award between Orzeszkowa and Sienkiewicz, but the prize was ultimately awarded only to Sienkiewicz.

According to one academician, Orzeszkowa was inferior to Sienkiewicz "as an artist-storyteller and a virtuoso of language," but possessed what, in Nobel's own opinion, "would have more weight than a grand epic scope": "She has a great, rich heart that loves."

The native of Belarus had a real chance to become the first woman to receive the highest literary award. But this did not happen, and the first female Nobel laureate in literature in 1909 was the Swede Selma Lagerlöf.

The first woman to receive a Nobel Prize was the Pole Marie Skłodowska-Curie. She remains the only laureate of prizes in Physics (1903) and Chemistry (1911).

How a son nominated his father against ethics

Professor Lev Rozanov, who headed the Department of Normal Physiology at Belarusian State University and received the official right to nominate candidates, used this privilege in an extraordinary way in 1928.

Contrary to academic ethics, he nominated his own father — the zemstvo doctor-epidemiologist Pavel Rozanov — for the highest scientific award.

At the same time, the nominated candidate had no serious scientific works, and his name was mentioned in medical periodicals only once. The Nobel Committee refused to consider such a proposal.

Павялічыць

Scientists from Belarus whose discoveries were nominated for the prize

Napoleon Cybulski (1854—1919) was a physiologist born in Kryvanosy on the territory of modern Belarus (Grodno region). He researched the physiology of blood circulation and the endocrine system. His candidacy was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1911, 1914, and 1918. He did not become a laureate.

Leonid Mandelstam (1879—1944) was born in Mogilev, one of the greatest physicists of his time. In 1930, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics. Mandelstam, together with Grigory Landsberg, discovered combination scattering of light — a phenomenon later named the Raman effect (in 1930, the Nobel Prize for research on light scattering was awarded to the Indian physicist Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman).

Moise Kunitz (1887—1978) was born in Slonim. He was a biochemist and researched enzymes, including trypsin and ribonuclease. Kunitz, along with John Northrop, was nominated for the prize in Physiology/Medicine in 1937, and in 1941 — for Chemistry. Northrop received the prize in 1946.

Philip Levine (1900—1987) was born in Kletsk. After moving to the USA, he became a well-known immunohematologist, researching blood groups, particularly the Rh factor and its connection to hemolytic disease of the newborn.

His candidacy for the Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine was nominated in 1946, 1950, 1952, and 1953.

Yakov Zeldovich (1914—1987) was born in Minsk. A theoretical physicist, astrophysicist, and physical chemist, he contributed to the study of nuclear reactions, cosmology, and the evolution of the Universe. Zeldovich was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1968, and in 1971 — for Physics.

In the latter case, his candidacy was proposed together with American astrophysicists Maarten Schmidt and John Wheeler.

Vitaly Goldansky (1923—2001) hails from Vitebsk. A researcher in nuclear chemistry, nuclear physics, and Mössbauer spectroscopy.

In 1971, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with the Swedish physicist Kai Siegbahn.

The Nobel Prize archive contains a record of the nomination: chemist Nikolay Emanuel, who nominated them, believed that the award should have been shared between the two scientists. However, they were not awarded the prize at that time. Siegbahn received the Nobel Prize 10 years later — without Goldansky.

Nominee who changed international law comes from Belarus

Raphael Lemkin (1900—1959) was born near Vawkavysk. A lawyer of Jewish descent, he dedicated his life to developing international legal mechanisms against mass extermination of people.

The formation of Lemkin's views was influenced by the trial of the Armenian Soghomon Tehlirian, who in 1921 shot the former Ottoman Empire Interior Minister Talaat Pasha — one of the main organizers of the Armenian Genocide — in Berlin.

The trial discussed mass killings and deportations of Armenians, and the German jury acquitted Tehlirian, ruling that the young Armenian acted in a state of passion.

Tehlirian's trial prompted Lemkin to consider why the mass extermination of people was not prosecuted as an independent international crime, and whether an individual could administer justice instead of a court.

Later, these reflections became one of the impulses for his work on the international legal definition of genocide and mechanisms for its punishment.

Lemkin introduced the concept of genocide into international circulation and played a key role in promoting the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted in 1948.

His candidacy for the Nobel Peace Prize was nominated repeatedly — according to published biographical data, six times from 1950 to 1959. However, he never received the prize.

Włodzimierz Kołos (1928—1996) was a Polish chemist and physicist, born in Pinsk. He became one of the founders of modern quantum chemistry, known for pioneering calculations of the electronic structure of molecules.

In 1973, Kołos was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with physicist and chemist Clemens C.J. Roothaan and chemist Ludwik Wolniewicz.

A record of the nomination is preserved in the Nobel Prize archive, but the scientists did not receive the award.

Avrom Sutzkever (1913—2010) was a Jewish poet, one of the greatest authors who wrote in Yiddish. Born in Smarhon, he found himself in Siberia with his family in childhood, then lived in Vilna (Vilnius). During World War II, he was in the Vilna Ghetto, participated in the resistance against the Nazis, and saved Jewish cultural values.

In 1970, 1974, and 1975, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. The nominations are recorded in the Nobel Committee archive. Sutzkever did not become a laureate.

Who else was nominated among Belarusian writers

In the recent history of Belarus, literary organizations also announced nominations for the Nobel Prize.

Ryhor Baradulin (1935—2014) — a poet, translator, and national poet of Belarus. In 2005, the Belarusian PEN Center announced its decision to put forward his candidacy for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Publications about the poet also mentioned that in 2006 he was among the nominees.

One of the works to which supporters of Baradulin's nomination paid special attention was the collection of religious poetry "Ksty".

Vasil Bykaŭ (1924—2003). One of the most famous writers of the 20th century, renowned for his prose about World War II, moral choices, and human responsibility. His works have been translated into many languages.

Bykaŭ's candidacy was named among the possible contenders for the Nobel Prize in Literature; foreign literary figures supported international recognition of his work.

According to various historical testimonies (in particular, Baradulin's diaries), the first attempt to nominate Bykaŭ for the highest literary award was made in 1993.

Attempts were periodically repeated, but ten years were not enough for Bykaŭ. He died in 2003.

Uladzimir Niakliayeu (1946) — a poet and prose writer. In February 2011, the Belarusian PEN Center supported the proposal to nominate him for the Nobel Prize in Literature. The initiative was put forward by poet and public figure Hennadz Buraukin.

In 2012, a new nomination of Niakliayeu was reported as a joint initiative of the Belarusian PEN Center and the Union of Belarusian Writers (independent). He did not receive the prize.

Georgi Marchuk (1947—2023) — a writer, playwright, and screenwriter. He worked as chief editor of the "Belarusfilm" film studio, and headed the "Mastatskaya Litaratura" publishing house.

His nomination for the Nobel Prize in Literature was reported in 2009. The pro-government Union of Writers of Belarus was the nominator for the first time. Information about subsequent nominations from this organization could not be found.

It is important to distinguish between a publicly announced nomination and a confirmed entry in the Nobel Committee archive. The names of nominees from recent decades are officially not disclosed for 50 years, so the possibility of independent verification of such reports is limited.

Ales Razanau (1947—2021) — a poet, translator. He experimented with poetic forms, created versets and short philosophical texts, and translated works by foreign authors.

In the Belarusian literary community, Razanau was named a possible candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature; in particular, writer Uladzimir Arlou mentioned him among domestic authors who could contend for the award. However, reliable confirmation of a specific nomination could not be found in open sources.

Which Belarusian politicians were nominated for the prize

Stanislav Shushkevich (1934—2022), the first head of independent Belarus, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2007, the initiative was shown by former Polish President Lech Wałęsa, a laureate of this prize in 1983. Shushkevich was one of the signatories of the Belovezha Accords, which ended the existence of the USSR.

In 2011, his candidacy was again proposed for the prize — along with former Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk and Russian politician Gennady Burbulis, who also participated in the signing of the agreements.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Maria Kalesnikava, and Veranika Tsapkala were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021. The initiative came from Norwegian Member of Parliament Geir Toskedal, who noted their struggle for fair elections and contribution to peaceful resistance against the Belarusian authorities.

The female trio was a symbol of the protest movement after the 2020 presidential elections. They did not become laureates of the prize.

In 2021 and 2022, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the democratic forces, was separately nominated. She was nominated by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and Norwegian parliamentarian Hårek Elvenes, respectively.

Mikalai Statkevich (1956) — an opposition politician. In January 2025, Lithuanian MEP Petras Auštrevičius nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.

At that time, Statkevich was imprisoned, serving a 14-year term on charges of "organizing mass riots." Statkevich did not become a Nobel laureate.

What about Lukashenka?

A separate story is connected with the alleged nomination of Alexander Lukashenka for the Nobel Peace Prize. In September 2020, the state TV channel ONT reported that he had become a candidate for the award. However, this information was copied from the satirical website "Panorama".

There is no confirmed information about Lukashenka's actual nomination for the Nobel Prize. In October 2025, he himself called the Nobel Committee a "politicized structure" and stated that he would definitely refuse the prize.

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