2025 Nobel Prize Ceremony Shines with Sustainability and Surprise Guest Angela Merkel

The 2025 Nobel Prize ceremony took place in a typically gray Stockholm, where the colorful atmosphere inside Konserthuset was enlivened by vibrant dresses and floral decorations. Approximately 1,300 guests attended, including royalty, politicians, laureates, and for the first time, around 100 high school students, such as Eniola Aderounmu from Järfälla gymnasium, adding a new youthful presence. The event opened with a speech by Astrid Söderbergh Widding, chair of the Nobel Foundation, emphasizing that "Science is a common language for humanity in exploring and expanding the boundaries of human knowledge." Musical pieces included works from Mozart, Copland, Anna Clyne, and Ture Rangström.

King Carl XVI Gustaf presented medals and diplomas to laureates in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and economics. The laureates’ breakthroughs involved quantum mechanics, immune tolerance, and metal-organic frameworks.

A notable fashion highlight underscored sustainability trends, with Crown Princess Victoria wearing a dress originally worn by Queen Silvia at the 1994 Nobel festivities, designed by Jacques Zehnders. Princess Madeleine similarly reused her 2023 gown, while Queen Silvia donned a yellow dress seen at King Carl XVI Gustaf's jubilee. Pink was a dominant trend color, worn by politicians such as Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson and Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand, with Svantesson’s pairing of a bold pink dress and orange gloves described as particularly stylish.

The ceremony featured complex logistics as guests were transported from Konserthuset to Stadshuset for the banquet, which included champagne, a Nobel menu, entertainment, and dancing. Unexpectedly, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel attended and sat at the head table as a guest of a chemistry laureate, while Princess Sofia was absent to care for her daughter, Princess Ines. A vacant seat at the honorary table was attributed to uneven guest numbers rather than a cancellation.

The ceremony successfully blended tradition with modern touches, spotlighting science, culture, and sustainable fashion choices amid distinguished company and new youth participation.