The rules of the Nobel prize prohibit awarding the prize posthumously. If the person dies after the official announcement, but before the award that is fine. So what happens when the prize is decided internally (and leaked) but not yet officially announced.

Nobel statutes don’t allow for posthumous awards.

They do make room for people who pass away after the official announcement but before the December 10th award ceremony, but as Steinman died before the announcement entirely, he might lose out on the award because he was technically ineligible. The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, the people who decide who wins the Nobel Prize in medicine, will have to reconvene to decide on what to do but hopefully, they make an exception as it’s more their fault for not knowing Steinman had passed than Steinman’s fault for dying.

This could get interesting. The estate of the decedent could try to sue for the $500,000 prize money.

H/T Militza