Dear Readers,

General Knowledge is an important component for most competitive exams, namely the UPSC Civil Services Examination, SSC CGL, Bank PO & PSU entrance tests, etc. Therefore, an understanding of the concepts/terms are significant in our daily lives is critical for aspirants. To make your preparation easier and to help you score better, we at PaGaLGuY bring you brief articles on trending phenomena and concepts. In this article we will look into various international awards won this year.

1. The
Nobel Prize: It is
annually awarded to recognise outstanding work and contributions of many people
in several fields. Here is the list of personalities who have been honoured
with the Nobel Prize for the year 2014.

·
The
Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to Indian child rights activist Kailash
Satyarthi for his struggle against child labour, and to Pakistani activist
Malala Yusafzai for her efforts to promote women’s education.

·
Chemistry- Eric Betzig, Stefan W Hell, William E
Moerner for the development of multiscale models for complex chemical systems.

·
Physics- Isamu Hakasaki, Hiroshi Amano, Shuji Nakamura for the invention of efficient blue
light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light
sources.

·
Medicine- The Nobel Prize in Medicine was
divided this year; one half was awarded to John O’ Keefe. The other half was
jointly awarded to May-Britt Moser and Edvard I. Moser for their discoveries of
cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain.

·
Literature- Patrick Modiano for the art of memory
with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the
life-world of the occupation.

·
The Sveriges
Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel- Jean
Tirole for his analysis of market
power and regulation.

2. The
Pulitzer Prize- This award
celebrates the ‘written word’ and is awarded
to recognise excellence in journalism, literature, drama and music, among
others. Let’s look at some of the prominent categories.

a. Journalism

Public
Service Reporting:

The Post and Courier for ‘Till Death Do Us Part,’ a series that detailed
on why South Carolina is among the deadliest states in the US for women and made
the issue important enough to put it on state’s agenda.

The Boston Globe for stories, videos, photos and graphics collated to
expose a badly regulated, profit-driven housing system that made life unsafe
and deadly for thousands of college students in Boston.

The Wall Street Journal for ‘Deadly Medicine,’ an outstanding reporting
project documenting the significant cancer risk to women of a common surgery that
prompted a change in the prescribed medical treatment.

Investigative
Reporting

The Wall Street Journal staff for ‘Medicare Unmasked,’ a project that gave citizens
of the US unparalleled access to previously confidential information on the
motivations and practices of their health care providers.

David
Jackson, Gary Marx and Duaa Eldeib of the Chicago
Tribune for exposing the risks faced by abused children placed in
Illinois’s residential treatment centers.

Eric
Lipton of The New York Times for
reporting that cleared the air about how the influence of lobbyists can sway
congressional leaders and state attorneys general, warping justice toward the
wealthy and the well-connected.

International
Reporting

The New York Times staff for bold front-line reporting and vivid human
stories on Ebola in Africa, giving people news about the scope and details of
the outbreak while holding authorities accountable.

Richard
Marosi and Don Bartletti of the Los
Angeles Times for reporting on the fetid conditions and cruel practices
inside the multibillion dollar industry that supplies vegetables from Mexican
fields to American supermarkets.

Ned
Parker and a team from Reuters for
intrepid reports on the disintegration of Iraq and the rise of ISIS, linking
the ballooning catastrophe to a legacy of sectarianism, corruption and violence
seeded by the U.S. invasion.

b. Drama

Between
Riverside and Crazy, a play by Stephen Adly Guirgis

Marjorie
Prime by Jordan Harrison

Father
Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2, 3) by Suzan-Lori Parks

c. Biographies

The
Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in
Europe, by David I. Kertzer

Louis
Armstrong: Master of Modernism by Thomas Brothers

Stalin:
Volume I: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928 by Stephen Kotkin

d. Music

Anthracite
Fields by Julia Wolfe

Xiaoxiang
by Lei Liang

The
Aristos by John Zorn

3. 87th Academy Awards (The Oscar)

Best
Film- Birdman

Best
Director- Alejandro González Iárritu for Birdman

Best
Actress- Julianne
Moore for Still Alice

Best
Actor- Eddie
Redmayne for The Theory of Everything

Best
Screenplay (Adapted) – Graham Moore – The Imitation Game

Best
Screenplay (Original)- Alejandro González Iárritu, Nicolás Giacobone,
Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo – Birdman

Best
Original Score- Alexandre Desplat – The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best
Documentary Feature- Citizenfour – Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk
Wilutzky

Best
Cinematography- Birdman: Emmanuel Lubezki

Best
Animated Feature Film- Big Hero 6

Best
Animated Short Film- Feast

Best
Documentary Short Subject- Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1

Best
Foreign-language  Film-  Ida

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