Overview
Searches run against a stored copy of the laureate dataset; there are no live calls to an outside service. At least one of `firstname`, `lastname`, `category` or `year` is required, otherwise the request returns a 400.
Name and year filters are substring matches, applied in order and combined with AND; name matching ignores case. `lastname=curie` therefore matches every laureate whose surname contains "curie", and `firstname=mar` matches Marie and Martin. `category` takes one of the six prize names (Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Peace, Economics), in any case. `year` (paid) is also matched as text, so a full four-digit year gives an exact year, while a shorter value matches more broadly. `filteredOn` lists the fields that were actually used.
Results are capped at 10 and returned in dataset order, not by relevance or date. `count` is the number of records in this response, not the total number of matches, so a broad query like `category=physics` returns 10 and a count of 10; narrow it with a name or year to reach a specific laureate. No match returns a 404.
`year` is returned as a string. Death fields are empty for living laureates, and organization fields are empty where no affiliation is recorded.
Live Test Nobel Prize Lookup Source →
Formula
One function covers the whole catalog: the first argument names the source, the next are its inputs, and the field after them says which single value lands in the cell. Formulas covers the grammar that applies to all of them.
=VERVE("nobelprizes", "count")=VERVE.CALL("nobelprizes", "count")Inputs
Required inputs are positional, in the order below, followed by the field. Everything else is passed as a "name", value pair after that — the same shape as SUMIFS. Premium inputs are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.
| Input | Type | Where it goes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
firstnameOptional | string | "firstname", value | The first name of the Nobel Prize winner to get information about |
lastnameOptional | string | "lastname", value | The last name of the Nobel Prize winner to get information about |
categoryOptional | string | "category", value | The category of the Nobel Prize to get information aboutPhysicsChemistryMedicineLiteraturePeaceEconomics |
yearOptionalPremium | integer | "year", value | The year of the Nobel Prize to get information about range 1901–2030 |
Passing an option
=VERVE("nobelprizes", "count", "firstname", "Albert")=VERVE.CALL("nobelprizes", "count", "firstname", "Albert")What lands in your sheet
The field — the argument after the inputs — is what makes the formula resolve to one cell. Its value is a dot-path from the table below, so swapping it is how you pull a different value — one formula per column.
Seeing everything at once
Leave the field out and the formula returns the whole response instead: two columns, field name on the left and value on the right, spilling from the cell you typed in.
=VERVE("nobelprizes")=VERVE.CALL("nobelprizes")The second row's table would land on top of the first's, and every cell after the first reads #REF! (#SPILL! in Excel). Keep one per sheet, or name a field, and leave the cells below and to the right empty.
Response fields
Paths are relative to data. Each one is exactly what the field argument accepts, so swapping it is how you pull a different value into a cell. On a plan without a Premium field the cell reads #PREMIUM(field) rather than a value, so a locked field never looks like a real answer.
| Use as the field | Type | Example cell value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
count | number | 1 | Total number of Nobel Prize winners matching the criteria |
filteredOn | array | ["firstName","lastName","category"] | List of filter fields applied to the query results |
nobelPrizes | array[1] | Array of Nobel Prize winner records with complete biographical data | |
nobelPrizes.0.firstName | string | Albert | First name of the Nobel Prize winner |
nobelPrizes.0.lastName | string | Einstein | Last name of the Nobel Prize winner |
nobelPrizes.0.bornPremium | string | 1879-03-14 | Birth date in YYYY-MM-DD format |
nobelPrizes.0.diedPremium | string | 1955-04-18 | Death date in YYYY-MM-DD format or null |
nobelPrizes.0.countrybornPremium | string | Germany | Country name where the laureate was born |
nobelPrizes.0.countrybornCodePremium | string | DE | ISO country code of birth country (two letters) |
nobelPrizes.0.born cityPremium | string | Ulm | City or town where laureate was born |
nobelPrizes.0.diedCountryPremium | string | USA | Country name where the laureate died |
nobelPrizes.0.diedCountryCodePremium | string | US | ISO country code of death country (two letters) |
nobelPrizes.0.diedCityPremium | string | Princeton NJ | City or town where laureate died |
nobelPrizes.0.genderPremium | string | male | Gender of the Nobel Prize winner |
nobelPrizes.0.year | string | 1921 | Year the Nobel Prize was awarded |
nobelPrizes.0.category | string | Physics | Nobel Prize category (Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Peace, Economics) |
nobelPrizes.0.motivationPremium | string | for his services to Theoretical Physics and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelec… | Official Nobel Prize motivation citation explaining the award |
nobelPrizes.0.organizationPremium | string | Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut (now Max-Planck-Institut) für Physik | Organization or institution affiliated with the laureate |
nobelPrizes.0.organizationCityPremium | string | Berlin | City where the affiliated organization is located |
nobelPrizes.0.organizationCountryPremium | string | Germany | Country where the affiliated organization is located |
When a cell doesn't fill
A failed lookup returns readable text starting with #ERR rather than a spreadsheet error, because Excel cannot show a custom message on a real error — you would get a bare #VALUE! with no reason. The trade-off is that IFERROR() will not catch it; test with LEFT(cell, 4) = "#ERR" instead. Error handling covers the rest.
| Cell reads | What happened |
|---|---|
#ERR Not connected | No API key saved. Open the side panel and connect your account. |
#ERR Replace <name> with a cell or value | A preview formula was copied as-is. Swap the placeholder for a cell reference. |
#ERR No "x" in nobelprizes | An option name this source does not take. The message lists the ones it does. |
#ERR No data point "…" | The field path is not in the response. Check it against the table above. |
#PREMIUM(field) | The field exists but your plan does not include it. |
#ERR Out of credits | The cycle's credits are spent. Usage resets on your billing date. |
Before the formula works
The add-in reads the API key you saved once in the side panel — the key never goes in the formula, so a shared sheet does not leak it and a collaborator without access simply sees the last calculated values.
- Install the add-in for Google Sheets or Excel.
- Open the side panel and sign in, or paste a key from your dashboard.
- Type the formula above into any cell.
Use cases
- Academic Trivia Games
- Trivia apps query specific prize categories to generate questions and verify player answers against historical winners and award years.
- Science Journalism Portals
- When breaking news covers major scientific breakthroughs, newsrooms search laureate records by name to confirm previous award years and official citations.
- University Faculty Profiles
- To display faculty honors accurately, university web editors cross-reference researcher names against prize records to list confirmed Nobel awards.
- Reference Library Catalogs
- Catalogers query the database by category to build curated reading lists and link literature prize winners to archive collections.
Other ways to use Nobel Prize Lookup
Set up Nobel Prize Lookup on VerveSheets, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveSheets account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
Related
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