# List of Nobel laureates and nominees in the Philippines

The Nobel Prizes and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences are a set of awards given, according to Alfred Nobel's will, to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind."
Since its establishment, the prize has been awarded 609 times to 975 people and 27 organizations including one Filipino Nobel laureate – Rappler journalist Maria Ressa who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 with Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov in recognition for their contributions to press freedom. The American chemist Richard F. Heck was a long-time resident in the Philippines when he was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Before Ressa's win, Filipinos speculated multiple times when and who will be the first to win from their country. According to OPCW member Franz Ontal, winning the Nobel Prize is the last thing a Filipino could think of. Hence, the lack of Nobel laureates from the country.
The American news publication Foreign Policy has listed former Philippine president Corazon Aquino alongside Mahatma Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Ken Saro-Wiwa and Václav Havel as people who "never won the prize, but should have". Filipino journalist Romulo Virola noted Ramon Magsaysay, Manuel L. Quezon, Felipe Agoncillo, Concepción Felix, Josefa Llanes Escoda, Lope K. Santos, Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, Huseng Batute, Carlos Bulosan, and Zoilo Galang as "Filipinos who could have won the Nobel Prize if only they were nominated."

## Laureates

Despite having only one Nobel laureate, numerous Filipinos (both citizens within the country and living in overseas communities) and Philippine-based organizations were affiliated with laureate organizations of which they contributed largely and were active members at the time the organization was awarded:
* the Philippine Red Cross being part of the 1963 Nobel laureate League of Red Cross Societies;
* the UNICEF Philippines being part of the 1965 Nobel laureate UNICEF;
* the Philippine Campaign to Ban Landmines being member of the 1997 Nobel laureate International Campaign to Ban Landmines;
* Vivian Talambiras-Cruz being part of the 2005 Nobel laureate International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA);
* Jose Ramon Villarin, Rex Victor Cruz, Juan M. Pulhin, Rosa T. Perez and Rodel Diaz Lasco being members and contributors of the 2007 Nobel laureate Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC);
* Franz Ontal et al. being members of the 2013 Nobel laureate Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW);
* Jasmin Nario-Galace and Loreta Navarro-Castro being members of the 2017 Nobel laureate International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).
| Year | Laureate | Born | Died | Field | Citation |
| Citizens |||||||
| 2021 | Maria Ressa | 2 October 1963 in Manila, Philippines | — | Peace | "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace." (awarded together with Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov) |
| Expatriates |||||||
| 2010 | Richard F. Heck | 15 August 1931 in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States | 10 October 2015 in Manila, Philippines | Chemistry | "for palladium-catalyzed cross couplings in organic synthesis" (awarded together with Japanese chemists Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki) |

## Nominations
### Nominees

Since 1929, Filipinos have started to receive nominations for the prestigious Swedish prize. The following list are the nominees with verified nominations from the Nobel Committee and recognized international organizations. There are also other purported nominees whose nominations are yet to be verified since the archives are revealed 50 years after, among them:
* For Physics: Casimiro del Rosario (1896–1982), Edgardo Escultura (born 1936), Diosdado Banatao (born 1946), Henry J. Ramos (born 1950) and Reinabelle Reyes (born 1984)
* For Chemistry: Baldomero Olivera (born 1941), Lourdes J. Cruz (born 1942) and Lawrence Que Jr. (born 1949).
* For Physiology or Medicine: Roseli Ocampo-Friedmann (1937–2005), Fe del Mundo (1911–2011), Ernesto Domingo (born 1930), Katherine Luzuriaga (born 1956), Nicanor Austriaco (born 1968) and Aldo Carrascoso (born 1978).
* For Literature: Lázaro Francisco (1898–1980), Severino Montano (1915–1980), León María Guerrero (1915–1982), Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero (1910–1995), Bienvenido Santos (1911–1996), Edilberto K. Tiempo (1913–1996), N. V. M. Gonzalez (1915–1999), Cirilo Bautista (1941–2018), Lualhati Bautista (1945–2023), Nick Carbó (1964–2024), Virgilio S. Almario (born 1944), Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo (born 1944), Jessica Hagedorn (born 1949), Vince Gotera (born 1952), Jose Dalisay Jr. (born 1954), Luisa Igloria (born 1961) and Gina Apostol (born 1963).
* For Peace: Larry Itliong (1913–1977), Jose W. Diokno (1922–1987), Narciso G. Reyes (1914–1996), Cardinal Jaime Sin (1928–2005), Miriam Defensor Santiago (1945–2016), Benigno Aquino III (1960–2021), Sis. Mary John Mananzan (born 1937), Rodrigo Duterte (born 1945), Antonio Meloto (born 1950), Joan Carling (born 1963), Rodne Galicha (born 1979), Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (founded in 1969), Free Legal Assistance Group (founded in 1974), Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (founded in 1974), Karapatan Alliance Philippines (founded in 1995) and Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (founded in 2007).
* For Economics: Bernardo Villegas (born 1939), Raul Fabella (born 1949), Bruce Tolentino (born 1953) and Bp. Gilbert Garcera (born 1959).
| Image | Nominee | Born | Died | Years Nominated | Citation | Nominator(s) |
| Physiology or Medicine |||||||
| | Otto Schöbl | 27 August 1877 in Zdice, Czech Republic | 13 October 1938 in Tokyo, Japan | 1929 | "for his experimental work with frambosia which lead to knowledge of the etiology and pathogenesis of treponematous infections." | Proceso Gabriel (1887–1935) Philippines |
| | Otto Schöbl | 27 August 1877 in Zdice, Czech Republic | 13 October 1938 in Tokyo, Japan | 1929 | "for his experimental work with frambosia which lead to knowledge of the etiology and pathogenesis of treponematous infections." | Onofre Garcia (?) Philippines |
| | Proceso Gabriel | 2 July 1887 in Santa Ana, Manila, Philippines | 4 November 1935 in Manila, Philippines | 1929 | "for his contributions to the public health and the sanitary progress of the Philippines." | Dario del Val (?) Philippines |
| Literature |||||||
| | Amado Yuzon | 30 August 1906 in Guagua, Pampanga, Philippines | 17 January 1979 in Quezon City, Philippines | 1970 | Poems for Screen Heroines (1949) The Citizen's Poems (1956) The Passion of Rizal, Poet and Martyr (1977) | Chung Tin-wen (?) Taiwan |
| | Amado Yuzon | 30 August 1906 in Guagua, Pampanga, Philippines | 17 January 1979 in Quezon City, Philippines | 1970, 1973 | Poems for Screen Heroines (1949) The Citizen's Poems (1956) The Passion of Rizal, Poet and Martyr (1977) | Emeterio Barcelon (1897–1978) Philippines |
| | Jose Garcia Villa | 5 August 1908 in Manila, Philippines | 7 February 1997 in New York City, United States | 1971 | Footnote to Youth (1933) Poems by Doveglion (1941) Have Come, Am Here (1942) Selected Poems and New (1958) | Alejandro Roces (1924–2011) Philippines |
| | Jose Garcia Villa | 5 August 1908 in Manila, Philippines | 7 February 1997 in New York City, United States | 1971 | Footnote to Youth (1933) Poems by Doveglion (1941) Have Come, Am Here (1942) Selected Poems and New (1958) | Pacita Icasiano-Habana (d. 2016) et al. Philippines |
| | Jose Garcia Villa | 5 August 1908 in Manila, Philippines | 7 February 1997 in New York City, United States | 1973, 1974 | Footnote to Youth (1933) Poems by Doveglion (1941) Have Come, Am Here (1942) Selected Poems and New (1958) | Purita Kalaw Ledesma (1914–2005) Philippines |
| | Nick Joaquin | 4 May 1917 Paco, Manila, Philippines | 29 May 2004 San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines | 1985 | A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino (1950) The Woman Who Had Two Navels (1961) Cave and Shadows (1983) | |
| | Francisco Sionil Jose | 3 December 1924 Rosales, Pangasinan, Philippines | 6 January 2022 Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines | 1985, 1994, 2006 | The Rosales Saga (1962–1984) Ermita (1988) Viajero (1993) Three Filipino Women (1992) | |
| Peace |||||||
| | Carlos P. Romulo | 14 January 1898 in Camiling, Tarlac, Philippines | 15 December 1985 in Manila, Philippines | 1952 | "for his contribution in international cooperation, in particular on questions on undeveloped areas, and as president for UN's 4th General Assembly." | Jose Maria Hernandez (1904–1982) Philippines |
| | United Poets Laureate International | founded on 30 September 1963 in Manila, Philippines | founded on 30 September 1963 in Manila, Philippines | 1967 | "for promoting world brotherhood and peace through poetry" | Angel Macapagal (1917–1993) Philippines |
| | Marcelo Nubla | September 12, 1898 in Manila, Philippines | November 12, 1985 in the Philippines | 1973 | | Jose Roy (1904–1986) Philippines |
| | Rafael M. Salas | August 7, 1928 in Bago, Negros Occidental, Philippines | March 4, 1987 in Washington, D.C., United States | 1974 | | José Figueres Ferrer (1906–1990) Costa Rica |
| | Imelda Romualdez-Marcos | 2 July 1929 in San Miguel, Manila, Philippines | | 1978 | "for her valor in establishing diplomatic relations and peace dialogues with the Libyan dictator Mu'ammar Al-Qadhdhāfī." | Blas Ople (1927–2003) Philippines |
| | Imelda Romualdez-Marcos | 2 July 1929 in San Miguel, Manila, Philippines | | 1978 | "for her valor in establishing diplomatic relations and peace dialogues with the Libyan dictator Mu'ammar Al-Qadhdhāfī." | Ramon Fernandez (1916–1997) Philippines |
| | Aloysius Schwartz | 18 September 1930 in Washington, D.C., United States | 16 March 1992 in Manila, Philippines | 1984, 1992 | "for his ministry to thousands of poor children around the world." | Bob Dornan (born 1933) United States |
| | Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino | 25 January 1933 in Paniqui, Tarlac, Philippines | 1 August 2009 in Makati, Philippines | 1987 | "for her non-violent efforts to restore democracy in the Philippines." | Liv Aasen (1928–2005) NorwayRuud Lubbers (1939–2018) NetherlandsJaime Sin (1928–2005) Philippines Lech Wałęsa (born 1943) Poland Desmond Tutu (1931–2021) South AfricaSimone Veil (1927–2017) FranceRaul Manglapus (1918–1999) Philippines |
| | Antonio Fortich, D.D. | 11 August 1913 in Sibulan, Negros Oriental, Philippines | 2 July 2003 in Bacolod, Negros Occidental, Philippines | 1989 | "for being a strong advocate of the rights of the poor and a critic of an unjust social economic system." | American Friends Service Committee21 members of the British Parliament |
| | Fidel V. Ramos | 18 March 1928 in Lingayen, Pangasinan, Philippines | 31 July 2022 in Makati, Philippines | 1997 | "for ending the long years of conflict between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Fronts through the 1996 Final Peace Agreement." | Organisation of Islamic Cooperation |
| | Nur Misuari | 3 March 1939 in Tapul, Sulu, Philippines | — | 1997 | "for ending the long years of conflict between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Fronts through the 1996 Final Peace Agreement." | Organisation of Islamic Cooperation |
| | Shay Cullen, S.S.C.M.E. | 27 March 1943 in Dublin, Ireland | — | 2001, 2002, 2003, 2017 | "for their commitment in protecting the rights of women and children and campaigning for freedom from sex slavery and human trafficking in the Philippines." | Nigel Griffiths (born 1955) United KingdomDavid Kilgour (1941–2022) CanadaChrista Nickels (born 1952) GermanyBärbel Kofler (born 1967) Germany |
| | PREDA Foundation | founded in 1974 in Zambales, Philippines | founded in 1974 in Zambales, Philippines | | 2001, 2002, 2003, 2017 | "for their commitment in protecting the rights of women and children and campaigning for freedom from sex slavery and human trafficking in the Philippines." | Nigel Griffiths (born 1955) United KingdomDavid Kilgour (1941–2022) CanadaChrista Nickels (born 1952) GermanyBärbel Kofler (born 1967) Germany |
| | 27 Filipino women (part of the 1000 PeaceWomen) | began in 2003 in Bern, Switzerland | began in 2003 in Bern, Switzerland | 2005 | "in recognition of women's efforts and visibility in promoting peace all over the world." | Ruth-Gaby Vermont-Mangold (born 1941) Switzerland |
| | Leila de Lima | 27 August 1959 in Iriga, Camarines Sur, Philippines | — | 2020, 2021 | "for her campaign against extrajudicial killings and stand against dictatorial regimes." | Hakima el Haité (born 1963) Morocco |
| | Maria Ressa | 2 October 1963 in Manila, Philippines | — | 2021 | "for her brave commitments to free expression, human dignity and democratic government in reporting on the authoritarian Duterte administration." | Jonas Gahr Støre (born 1960) Norway |
| | Victoria Tauli-Corpuz | 19 October 1952 in Besao, Mt. Province, Philippines | — | 2023 | "for her non-violent struggle to protect and strengthen the rights of indigenous peoples" | Peace Research Institute Oslo |

### Nominators

The following Philippines-based organizations and Filipino individuals have nominated various candidates, local and international, for the Nobel Prize.
| Image | Nominee | Born | Died | Nominator | Motivation | Year Nominated |
| Physiology or Medicine |||||||
| | Onofre Garcia | — | — | Otto Schöbl (1877–1938) Czechoslovakia | "for his experimental work with frambosia which lead to knowledge of the etiology and pathogenesis of treponematous infections." | 1929 |
| | Proceso Gabriel | 2 July 1877 in Manila, Philippines | 4 November 1935 in Manila, Philippines | Otto Schöbl (1877–1938) Czechoslovakia | "for his experimental work with frambosia which lead to knowledge of the etiology and pathogenesis of treponematous infections." | 1929 |
| | Dario Del Val | — | — | Proceso Gabriel (1877–1935) Philippines | "for his contributions to the public health and the sanitary progress of the Philippines." | 1929 |
| Literature |||||||
| | Manuel Briones | 1 January 1893 in Mandaue, Cebu, Philippines | 29 September 1957 in Manila, Philippines | Ramón Menéndez Pidal (1869–1968) Spain | Crónicas Generales de España (1898) Orígenes del Español (1926) Flor Nueva de Romances Viejos (1928) La España del Cid (1929) Romancero Hispánico: Teoría e Historia (1953) | 1956 |
| | Jesús Castañon, O.P. | — | — | Ramón Menéndez Pidal (1869–1968) Spain | Crónicas Generales de España (1898) Orígenes del Español (1926) Flor Nueva de Romances Viejos (1928) La España del Cid (1929) Romancero Hispánico: Teoría e Historia (1953) | 1956 |
| | Emeterio Barcelón | 1897 in Santa Cruz, Manila, Philippines | 1978 in Philippines | Amado Yuzon (1906–1979) Philippines | Poems for Screen Heroines (1949) The Citizen's Poems (1956) The Passion of Rizal, Poet and Martyr (1977) | 1970, 1973 |
| | Emeterio Barcelón | 1897 in Santa Cruz, Manila, Philippines | 1978 in Philippines | Chen Minghua (born 1950) China | Five-Colored Flowers [五色花] Returning to the Sun [回阳时节] Listening to Hometown [聆听乡土] Wind Blowing in the Western Regions [风吹西域] | 1974 |
| | Alejandro Roces | 13 July 1924 in Manila, Philippines | 23 May 2011 in Manila, Philippines | Jose Garcia Villa (1908–1997) Philippines United States | Footnote to Youth (1933) Poems by Doveglion (1941) Have Come, Am Here (1942) Selected Poems and New (1958) | 1971 |
| | Pacita Icasiano-Habana | — | 17 August 2016 in the Philippines | Jose Garcia Villa (1908–1997) Philippines United States | Footnote to Youth (1933) Poems by Doveglion (1941) Have Come, Am Here (1942) Selected Poems and New (1958) | 1971 |
| | Purita Kalaw Ledesma | 2 February 1914 in Manila, Philippines | 29 April 2005 in Manila, Philippines | Jose Garcia Villa (1908–1997) Philippines United States | Footnote to Youth (1933) Poems by Doveglion (1941) Have Come, Am Here (1942) Selected Poems and New (1958) | 1973, 1974 |
| Peace |||||||
| | Jose Maria Hernandez | 19 June 1904 in the Philippines | 14 July 1982 in the Philippines | Carlos P. Romulo (1898–1985) Philippines | "for his contribution in international cooperation, in particular on questions on undeveloped areas, and as president for UN's 4th General Assembly." | 1952 |
| | Guadalupe Forés-Ganzon | 8 July 1908 in Baliuag, Bulacan, Philippines | 1985 in the Philippines | Hermann Gmeiner (1919–1986) Austria | "for founding SOS Children's Villages, wherein care for and education of homeless orphans obliterate racial and cultural barriers, making them useful members of our future society." | 1964 |
| | Angel Macapagal | 2 October 1917 in Lubao, Pampanga, Philippines | 6 November 1993 in Los Angeles, California, United States | United Poets Laureate International (founded 1963) Philippines | "for promoting world brotherhood and peace through poetry." | 1967 |
| | Amadeo Cruz | 30 October 1903 in Navotas, Philippines | 25 December 1971 in Manila, Philippines | Spurgeon M. Keeny (1893–1988) United States | "for his dedication and concern for the welfare of humanity, devotedly working towards bettering the state of life for peoples in the world and contributed greatly to the fight against diseases and later population control in Asia." | 1971 |
| | Carlos P. Romulo | 14 January 1898 in Camiling, Tarlac, Philippines | 15 December 1985 in Manila, Philippines | Norman Cousins (1915–1990) United States | | 1972 |
| | Carlos P. Romulo | 14 January 1898 in Camiling, Tarlac, Philippines | 15 December 1985 in Manila, Philippines | Pearl S. Buck (1892–1973) United States | | 1973 |
| | Gil Puyat | 1 September 1907 in Manila, Philippines | 23 March 1980 in Makati, Philippines | Pearl S. Buck (1892–1973) United States | | 1973 |
| | Jose Roy | 19 July 1904 in Moncada, Tarlac, Philippines | 14 March 1986 in Manila, Philippines | Marcelo Nubla (1898–1984?) Philippines | | 1973 |
| | Ferdinand Marcos | 11 September 1917 in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, Philippines | 28 September 1989 in Honolulu, Hawaii, Philippines | Josip Broz Tito (1892–1980) Yugoslavia | | 1973 |
| | Blas Ople | 3 February 1927 in Hagonoy, Bulacan, Philippines | 14 December 2003 in Taoyuan, Taiwan | Imelda R. Marcos (born 1929) Philippines | "for her valor in establishing diplomatic relations and peace dialogues with the Libyan dictator Mu'ammar Al-Qadhdhāfī." | 1978 |
| | Ramon Fernandez Sr. | 16 February 1916 in Libon, Albay, Philippines | 25 March 1997 in Manila, Philippines | Imelda R. Marcos (born 1929) Philippines | "for her valor in establishing diplomatic relations and peace dialogues with the Libyan dictator Mu'ammar Al-Qadhdhāfī." | 1978 |
| | Raul Manglapus | 20 October 1918 in Manila, Philippines | 25 July 1999 in Muntinlupa, Philippines | Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino (1933–2009) Philippines | "for her non-violent efforts to restore democracy in the Philippines." | 1987 |
| | Antonio Paris | — | — | Henry Reeve Brigade (founded in 2005) Cuba | "for their altruistic work carried out in 2020 to save more than 10,000 patients who contracted the COVID-19 virus in 38 foreign countries and to serve another 355,000 people affected by the pandemic." | 2021 |
| | Edgar Erice | 15 June 1960 in Quezon City, Philippines | — | AirLabs (founded in 2017) United Kingdom | "for their fight against air pollution and to the significant role played by science in developing clean-air technologies for good health and well-being worldwide." | 2022 |