The first three scientific Nobel Prize announcements of 2026 begin on Monday, 5 October. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine will be announced from 06:30 Brasília time; the Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday, 6 October, from 06:45; and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday, 7 October, also from 06:45. The official times are published in CEST and carry the qualifier that the announcement will take place at that time or later, so it is useful to open the stream in advance.
In this guide, “science Nobel Prizes” refers to the three scientific categories that open the announcement week. The 2026 laureates have not yet been announced, and there is no official basis for naming winners in advance.
2026 science Nobel Prize schedule in Brasília time
| Date | Prize | Official time | Brasília time | Responsible institution | Where to watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 October, Monday | Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine | 11:30 CEST, from that time | 06:30 | Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet | NobelPrize.org |
| 6 October, Tuesday | Nobel Prize in Physics | 11:45 CEST, from that time | 06:45 | Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences | NobelPrize.org and KVA |
| 7 October, Wednesday | Nobel Prize in Chemistry | 11:45 CEST, from that time | 06:45 | Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences | NobelPrize.org and KVA |
The schedule was checked on 28 September 2026. The official Nobel Prize page states that all 2026 prize announcements will be broadcast live on the Nobel Prize's official digital channels and that in-depth information will be published on NobelPrize.org.
Why Brasília time is five hours behind
On 5, 6 and 7 October, Stockholm will still be observing European summer time, identified as CEST, with a UTC+2 offset. The switch back to standard time is scheduled for 25 October 2026. The Brazilian Legal Time used in the Brasília time zone corresponds to UTC-3. The difference between UTC+2 and UTC-3 is five hours.
Therefore, 11:30 CEST corresponds to 06:30 in Brasília, while 11:45 CEST corresponds to 06:45. Readers in another Brazilian time zone should convert from their own local time because Brazil spans more than one time zone.
Who announces each prize
Physiology or Medicine
The 5 October announcement will be made at the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet. The official Nobel schedule identifies the institution and sets 11:30 CEST as the earliest possible announcement time. For readers in the Brasília time zone, that is 06:30.
Physics and Chemistry
The Physics and Chemistry announcements will be made by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. The Academy has confirmed the 6 and 7 October press conferences for 11:45 CEST at the earliest and says that people who are not attending in person can follow the live broadcast on the Academy's website or on NobelPrize.org, with no registration required to watch online.
Where to watch the announcements live
The simplest starting point is the official 2026 Nobel Prize announcement dates page. It brings together the calendar and directs readers to official coverage. NobelPrize.org states that every announcement will be streamed on its official digital channels.
For Physics and Chemistry, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences also provides the broadcast on its own website. The Academy explicitly says that remote viewers do not need to register. Since the listed time is the earliest possible moment for the announcement, opening the page a few minutes before 06:45 Brasília time is a practical precaution.
For Medicine, Karolinska Institutet will also host activities around the announcement, but for viewers outside Sweden the most direct and consistent route is the official NobelPrize.org ecosystem.
What happens when the prize is announced
The public announcement identifies the laureate or laureates and presents the work being recognised. The official websites then publish explanatory material about the awarded discovery or contribution. The 2026 Nobel schedule already states that in-depth information about each prize will be published on NobelPrize.org after the announcement.
Because the winners' names remain confidential until the announcement, predictions and favourite lists are not official information. The safest reference is the live stream and the documentation published by the responsible institutions.
The October announcement is not the award ceremony
The events on 5, 6 and 7 October reveal the 2026 laureates. The medals and diplomas are presented later. NobelPrize.org explains that new laureates are announced in October and that the award ceremonies take place on 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.
This distinction avoids a common misunderstanding: watching the October press conference means following the reveal of the laureates and the prize-awarded research, not the physical presentation of the Nobel Prize.
How to follow without missing the start
- Open the official stream a few minutes before 06:30 on 5 October and before 06:45 on 6 and 7 October.
- Treat the listed times as the earliest possible announcement times, not as a guarantee that the name will be read at that exact minute.
- Prefer NobelPrize.org and, for Physics and Chemistry, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences website.
- After the announcement, check the prize page on NobelPrize.org for the official motivation, explanatory materials and other published documents.
Sources and references
- Nobel Prize Outreach: Prize announcement dates, Nobel Prize announcements 2026
- Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences: press invitation for the 2026 Physics and Chemistry announcements
- Brazilian National Observatory: Brazilian Legal Time in the Brasília time zone, UTC-3
- timeanddate.com: Stockholm clock changes in 2026
- NobelPrize.org: general information on October announcements and 10 December award ceremonies
