Following scandal, two Nobel literature prizes to be awarded this year

Nobel Prize organizers announced on Mar 5 that two literature prizes will be awarded this autumn, to make up for the vacancy of last year's prize due to the rape conviction of an academy member’s husband.

Organizers did not award a prize in 2018 after Jean-Claude Arnault, husband of a Swedish academy member, was convicted of two rapes, embroiling the prize in scandal.

In an effort to regain public confidence for the award, organizers have appointed five external, independent members to help select Nobel laureates for the next few years, and will award 2018’s prize this year.

In a statement released on Tuesday, organizers said they hope that measures taken by the academy will restore trust in the prize.