Nobel Prize ceremony in Munich

The week from 5.12. to 11.12. 2020 was "Nobel Week": before and after the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death on 10.12., the ceremonial awarding of the Nobel Prizes and the honouring of the laureates takes place every year. Normally in Stockholm, but this year around the world due to Corona.

The ceremony for Reinhard Genzel, who this year receives the Nobel Prize in Physics together with Roger Penrose and Andrea Ghez, took place in the State Chancellery in Munich. The Swedish Ambassador Per Thöresson expressed his regret that a trip to Stockholm was impossible this year and offered his warmest congratulations. Prime Minister Söder also congratulated Reinhard Genzel and was pleased that there are still beautiful events in these difficult times. He also emphasised the importance of science and research and thanked all those who work in these fields.

After the ceremonial awarding of the Nobel Prize medal and certificate by Ambassador Thöresson, Reinhard Genzel emphasised what an extraordinary honour the award was for him. He pointed out that the research on the black hole was a long development in which many people had been involved; and that he considered himself lucky to have a team that accompany his path. Because of the complex techniques, he said, he is in the fortunate position that the Max Planck Society supports long-term research projects - where there is no guarantee of success.

On 10 December, Nobel Day, all of this year’s laureates were furthermore honoured in a formal, virtual ceremony in Stockholm, where clips of the award ceremonies around the world were shown.