# Can I start my own Nobel Prize?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-start-my-own-nobel-prize/922879>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 13, 2020, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-start-my-own-nobel-prize/922879 "2020-10-13T17:28:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-start-my-own-nobel-prize/922879/21 "2020-10-15T21:22:55Z")

</div>

Belive me, I’ll be doing Nobel-prize level of falling.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-start-my-own-nobel-prize/922879/22 "2020-10-15T22:04:00Z")

</div>

There is also the annual IgNobel prizes, awarded to scientists who carried out research of questionable value. They are awarded a certificate, a round of applause, and a brief appearance on NPR’s Science Friday radio show. One award was given to researchers at the U. of Kansas who laser-mapped some pancakes to see if Kansas is really _flat as a pancake._ They documented that Kansas is much flatter than any pancake they tested.  
[https://www.improbable.com/ig-about/](https://www.improbable.com/ig-about/)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2020, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-start-my-own-nobel-prize/922879/23 "2020-10-18T16:03:20Z")

</div>

I think Dick from the Internet would lend his support to the OP’s idea:

[https://dilbert.com/strip/2015-04-02](https://dilbert.com/strip/2015-04-02)

I’m not sure you’d want his “help”, though. 🙂

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-start-my-own-nobel-prize/922879/24 "2020-10-18T16:41:43Z")

</div>

After the addition of the Memorial Prize in Economics (in 1968), the Board of Directors of the Nobel Foundation decided that they would not allow any further additional prizes. So you can start your own prize, but as Kent\_Clark said, the name “Nobel” is trademarked, and the Foundation is sticking with Albert’s original five.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-start-my-own-nobel-prize/922879.md?page=1)