Nobel Prize banquet cancelled for first time since 1956 due to COVID-19

The Nobel Prize Banquet has been cancelled for the first time since 1956 due to coronavirus pandemic. 

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The event hosts around 1,300 guests including the Swedish royal family and traditionally marks the conclusion of the Nobel Week. The banquet hosts winners of the coveted prize are invited to the Swedish capital Stockholm for talks and the award ceremony.

This year's Nobel Prize winners will be announced, however, the event that is usually held on December 10 will not take place.

Last time the event was called off in 1956 in a protest against Soviet Union's invasion in Hungary. 

The ceremony has also cancelled during World War One and Two. 

These coveted prizes have been given to people with achievements in fields such as science, literature and peace since 1901 under the will of Swedish dynamite inventor and businessman Alfred Nobel. 

Nobel Foundation Chairman Lars Heikensten is an interview with Dagens Nyheter, the Swedish newspaper said: “There are two problems. You cannot gather that many people next to each other. And it is uncertain whether people can travel to Sweden to the extent they want.”

In a first, all announcements will be streamed live on nobelprize.org this year.