The Nobel prizes are the most famous awards in science ' and for many, the ultimate badge of research excellence and achievement. But in the past few years, a flurry of other prizes have popped up ' in some cases to fill gaps in the subject areas covered by the Nobels, and in others, to offer a bigger financial reward. With the Nobel prizes set to be announced next week, how do these prizes compare with one another' Although these newer awards (see 'Prize money') are becoming more significant, none match the Nobels, at least not yet, says biotechnologist Robert Langer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, who has been awarded the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, the Kyoto Prize and the Kavli Prize in Nanoscience. 'In my opinion none are at that level,' he says. Sara Seager, a planetary scientist at MIT and a winner of the 2024 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics, agrees. 'The other awards want to catch up,' she says. 'But for now, a Nobel prize is just so far...
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