The 1997 Nobel Prizes were awarded by the Nobel Foundation, based in Sweden. Six categories were awarded: Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Peace, and Economic Sciences.
Nobel Week took place from December 6 to 12, including programming such as lectures, dialogues, and discussions. The award ceremony and banquet for the Peace Prize were scheduled in Oslo on December 10, while the award ceremony and banquet for all other categories were scheduled for the same day in Stockholm.
Controversies.
Physics.
Some in the Russian scientific community disputed Chu, Cohen-Tannoudji, and Phillips' methodologies and claimed that some scientists in Russia had executed their experiments first.
Physiology or Medicine.
Prusiner's discovery of prions initially faced criticisms and denials, provoking a longstanding debate in the scientific community regarding the existence of prions that wouldn't be resolved, with their full acknowledgement, until years later.
Literature.
Fo's awarding was considered "rather lightweight" by some critics, as he was seen primarily as a performer; he had also been censured by the Roman Catholic Church.