Nobel Prize Postponed after Sexual Misconduct Furore

Just a few weeks ago we brought you the news that the Nobel Prize may be in jeopardy due to accusations of sexual misconduct and the Academy’s own complicated rules and now it looks as though this year’s prize may be completely postponed as the issues still aren’t resolved.

This week the Swedish Academy is to meet to decide whether this year’s prize will go ahead, and some members believe that it’s in no fit state to make any awards.

The Swedish Academy who hands out the Nobel Prizes has been under fire for how it dealt with alleged sexual misconduct accusations surrounding French photographer Jean-Claude Arnault, who is married to a former member of the institution. His wife quit the Academy in light of the furore and since then the entire Academy has crumbled.

Now so many members have resigned that there are not enough members left to bring new members on board, in line with the Academy’s own rules. The Swedish King has thankfully said he will now change those rules to prevent the Academy collapsing, but the Academy itself is still far from in a stable condition.

If the decision is made to postpone the prize then there will likely to be two Nobel Prizes for Literature next year. It’s the biggest scandal ever to hit the Academy, but it’s not the first time the prize has been postponed.

In 1935 it was believed that there was no one deserving of the prize and so it was not handed out, and in 1943 there was no prize awarded due to World War II.

Edit:
On Friday May 4th it was announced that this year’s Nobel Prize is postponed and will not be awarded for 2018.