Hall and Woodford win 2026 Nobel economics prize

The prestigious award, formally known as the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, comes with a prize of 12 million Swedish crowns ($1.2 million). This year's economics prize is the final award to be announced.

The economics prize was first awarded in 1969 and was established by Sweden's central bank, not by Alfred Nobel's original will. The majority of recipients have historically been from the United States, and only three women have won the prize, with Claudia Goldin being the most recent in 2023 for her work on gender's impact on pay and employment over time in the U.S.

Analysts had previously predicted that researchers focusing on monetary policy, the economics of information technology, or evolutionary economic theory might be recipients. Last year's laureates, Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt, were recognized for their work on "creative destruction" and its role in economic growth through technological advancement.