section_path: Nomination and selection
section_name: Nomination and selection
paragraph_text: Nomination and selection
  
  The Nobel Laureates in chemistry are selected by a committee that consists of five members elected by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. In its first stage, several thousand people are asked to nominate candidates. These names are scrutinized and discussed by experts until only the laureates remain. This slow and thorough process is arguably what gives the prize its importance.
  
  Forms are sent to about three thousand selected individuals to invite them to submit nominations. The names of the nominees are never publicly announced, and neither are nominees told that they have been considered for the Prize. Nomination records are sealed for fifty years, but in practice, some nominees do become known. It is also common for publicists to make such a claim – founded or not.
  
  The nominations are screened by the committee, and a list is produced of approximately two hundred preliminary candidates. This list is forwarded to selected experts in the field. They remove all but approximately fifteen names. The committee then submits a report with recommendations to the appropriate institution.
  
  While posthumous nominations are not permitted, awards can occur if the individual dies in the months between the nomination and the decision of the prize committee.
  
  The award in chemistry requires that the significance of achievements being recognized is "tested by time". In practice, it means that the lag between the discovery and the award is typically on the order of 20 years and can be much longer. As a downside of this approach, not all scientists live long enough for their work to be recognized.
  
  A maximum of three laureates and two different works may be selected. The award can be given to a maximum of three recipients per year.