Imagine getting a call saying you've won a Nobel Prize! It could happen -if you are among the distinguished scientists, economists, doctors, authors, and peacemakers who were nominated. And some of those people are waiting for the call. For others, it's a complete surprise. The Nobel Committees has an exact schedule for selecting the winners, starting the second week of October, with a different discipline announced each day. The Academy vote is at 9:30 AM (Swedish time), the call happens at 11:15, and the public announcement comes at noon (the schedules vary, but are always planned). If the winner cannot be notified by phone, the announcement goes on anyway, and the press will let the winner know. Professor Steffan Normark, permanent secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, makes the calls for chemistry, physics, and economics.
…Normark has a strategy for getting his phone calls past secretaries. "We tell them this is a very important call. A. Very. Important. Call." He enunciates each word carefully before moving on to the clincher. "From Stockholm." So far, he has always been put through.
Normark says the best calls are a total surprise for the winner. And sometimes it's hard to track a winner down. But the Nobel Prize is special, even compared to honors that carry more money with them. Read more about how it's done at Intelligent Life. Link -via Digg
(Image credit: Noma bar)