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Nobel Prize season, which kicks off today, involves more than just presenting prestigious prizes. Over the next three months, it鈥檒l bring us a聽聽culminating in the massive, youth-oriented聽聽on December 11, broadcast to over 100 countries and more than 500 million viewers.

In the past, the prizes have had something of an image problem. Traditionally, they have been given to mostly old, white men. The events around the accolades have also been very sombre and exclusive. To try to overcome this, the Nobel organisations have been steadily working to modernise the prizes鈥� image.

Some initiatives are small, like the 鈥淪peed Reads鈥� provided on the聽. Others are much larger, including the聽: a daylong series of expert discussions that are held for nonacademic audiences and streamed online. There are also plans to build a state-of-the-art new聽聽in Stockholm.

But not everyone appreciates the Nobel organisations鈥� efforts. The most vocal critic has been the Norwegian jurist and peace activist Fredrik Heffermehl.聽聽in particular, he has argued that the new communication activities diminish the 鈥渃haracter, integrity, and independence鈥� of the prize.

More entertainment

The criticisms have not deterred the Nobel organisations. Recently, they have ramped-up the entertainment factor in their productions. The Peace Prize Concert is now edgier, youth-focused and more inclusive. Its new tagline is 鈥淧eace is Loud鈥�. Last year, it featured international artists such as America鈥檚 Jason Derulo, the Singaporean-born Norwegian Kygo, and Denmark鈥檚 M脴, and was hosted by Jay Leno.

The Norwegian indie band Highasakite and the American singer Halsey are the first acts to be confirmed for this year鈥檚 concert. The organisers聽聽that they are increasing audience capacity at Telenor Arena to 10,000 and offering specially priced youth tickets.

Heffermehl has noted that these popular communication activities have required funding from external partners and sponsors, many of them being corporations.

The Nobel organisations are hamstrung in this respect by Alfred Nobel鈥檚 last will. The document (signed in 1895) restricts how the organisations can use the money he left behind. They have no choice but to rely on external funding for their new communication activities; major partners include 3M, Ericsson and Volvo.

Heffermehl has pointed out that relying on such partners potentially weakens the Nobel organisations鈥� independence. He has also criticised the Peace Prize, specifically, for becoming 鈥渞uinously corrupted by commercial thinking鈥�.聽聽in Norway have said the concert 鈥渢rivialises the gravity鈥� of the prize.

Another major event that鈥檚 been updated is the annual Nobel Banquet. In the past, the very formal multi-course dinner (complete with speeches and toasts) has been broken up by performances from ballet groups and opera ensembles. Last year, the organisers opted for more modern entertainment, including songs (in English) from the Swedish-Gambian soul-pop singer Seinabo Sey and Sweden鈥檚 Anna Ternheim.

The changes to these various activities follow a clear shift in the Nobel organisations鈥� communication planning. In research interviews, executives from the organisations explained to me that they now want to inspire and educate audiences 鈥� particularly young people 鈥� and not just transmit information about the prizes and laureates.

More controversies and challenges

For all that, it鈥檚 an uphill struggle to balance the lightness of popular entertainment with the seriousness of the prizes.

The accolades themselves are tricky to communicate. The prizes are given in six very different fields: physics, peace, chemistry, literature, economic sciences, and physiology or medicine. The achievements behind them (especially in the scientific fields) are usually highly technical and difficult to explain in simple terms. While the聽补苍诲听聽can be captured visually, the prize money (currently set at 8 million Swedish Crowns, or just over AU$1.2 million, per prize) is never actually shown.

聽鈥� the Swedish industrialist best known as the inventor of dynamite 鈥� intended that the prizes be awarded for achievements that 鈥渉ave conferred the greatest benefit to mankind [sic.]鈥�. What exactly 鈥渢he greatest benefit鈥� means is quite subjective, of course.

But there鈥檚 the dignity and authority of the 115-year-old Nobel brand to be safeguarded. This has taken a slight battering in the last couple of months over the latest project: the proposed聽. The building (due to open in Stockholm in 2019) will serve as a sophisticated new home for the prizes, providing a space for exhibitions, lectures and performances. The Nobel Foundation also hopes that it will host the iconic聽.

The proposed Nobel Center has attracted criticism.聽Nobel Center / David Chipperfield Architects

However, the 130-million-euro project has been engulfed in controversy.聽聽have called the building 鈥渁 brass-coloured nuclear power plant鈥�. Even Sweden鈥檚 King Carl XVI Gustav has criticised the design for being 鈥溾�� and located in the wrong place.

The new communication efforts also face the perennial challenge of gender equality. Year in, year out, the prizes still go largely to men: generally white, old, men.

The prizes are notorious for their gender-imbalance. (聽last year highlighted that, since they were first awarded in 1901, women have won a Nobel 49 times, men 825 times, and organisations 26 times.)

Even though this trend reflects the broader gender imbalance in the prize-awarded fields, it creates a slight image problem when the laureates receive their prizes each year. (Five out of the six prizes are also presented by the King of Sweden: another white, old man.)

This article was originally published in .