Nobel prize in chemistry 2026: predictions | The chemical breakdown podcast

It's Nobel season again! And we're doing something a little different here on The chemical breakdown. Instead of our usual stories, in this episode we are turning the microphone to speculation and discussing who we think will be taking home the chemistry Nobel prize this year with Jamie Durrani and Neil Withers.

Each year the Nobel prize is awarded across six categories, including physiology/medicine, physics, literature, peace, economic sciences, and chemistry. This year the announcement of the chemistry prize is set for Wednesday 7 October.

Past winners have included last year's metal organic frameworks, protein structure prediction and design, and quantum dots. Who is slated to win the prize this year? We trace trends in previous award winners, current predictions being discussed including the Clarivate citation laureates, and chat through our own Chemistry World team's predictions.

Main stories:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/who-will-win-the-2026-nobel-prize-in-chemistry/4024197.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/nobel-prize/the-data-behind-the-nobel-prizes/4010453.article

Headlines:

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/hats-off-for-new-lower-temperature-route-to-unzip-plexiglass-for-recycling/4024240.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/300mw-electrolyser-construction-starts-off-spanish-hydrogen-valley/4024272.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/elemental-sulfur-found-in-mammalian-cells-for-first-time/4024258.article

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/simple-organic-catalyst-walks-phosphate-groups-along-sugar-backbones/4024254.article