You've Won The Nobel Prize — Wait, Don't Hang Up!

Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa (right) gets a hug from former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo after Thursday's announcement that Llosa won the 2010 Nobel Prize for  Literature. Mario Tama/Getty hide caption

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Mario Tama/Getty

This year's Nobel Prize winners were announced this last week. Each year, one of the first calls those winners get comes from Adam Smith.

Adam Smith is the editor of the Nobel website, NobelPrize.org. He interviews winners after they're notified. He knows the winners in advance, of course, so he's usually quick to reach them. In the case of this call with 2009 Physics winner George Smith, he's occasionally the first.

The Nobel Committee is supposed to be the one to notify winners, Adam Smith tells NPR's Guy Raz. But some people hear the news from other sources, like 2008 winner Martin Chalfie, who slept through the committee's call.

There are certain hazards of Smith's job, he says, like convincing people he's for real.

And sometimes, the people he calls don't have time for him.

One phone call this year actually seemed to upset winner Konstantin Novoselo, who was in the middle of taking measurements.

"I imagine that in retrospect, he's perfectly happy the day got messed up," Smith says.

But the best part about this job, he says, is sharing the moment before the publicity hits.

"They're elated, they're a bit surprised and confused by what's about to happen and what is happening to them, so you maybe catch them with their guard down a bit and that's nice, because it gives you a sort of window into the real persona behind the laureate."