| Name | Category | Year | Motivation |
|---|
| Kurt Alder | Chemistry | 1950 | "for their discovery and development of the diene synthesis" |
| Robert J. Aumann | Economics | 2005 | "for having enhanced our understanding of conflict and cooperation through game-theory analysis" |
| J. Georg Bednorz | Physics | 1987 | "for their important break-through in the discovery of superconductivity in ceramic materials" |
| Friedrich Bergius | Chemistry | 1931 | "in recognition of their contributions to the invention and development of chemical high pressure methods" |
| Gerd Binnig | Physics | 1986 | "for their design of the scanning tunneling microscope" |
| Heinrich Böll | Literature | 1972 | "for his writing which through its combination of a broad perspective on his time and a sensitive skill in characterization has contributed to a renewal of German literature" |
| Carl Bosch | Chemistry | 1931 | "in recognition of their contributions to the invention and development of chemical high pressure methods" |
| Walther Bothe | Physics | 1954 | "for the coincidence method and his discoveries made therewith" |
| Willy Brandt | Peace | 1971 | |
| Karl Ferdinand Braun | Physics | 1909 | "in recognition of their contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy" |
| Eduard Buchner | Chemistry | 1907 | "for his biochemical researches and his discovery of cell-free fermentation" |
| Adolf Friedrich Johann Butenandt | Chemistry | 1939 | "for his work on sex hormones" |
| Ernst Boris Chain | Medicine | 1945 | "for the discovery of penicillin and its curative effect in various infectious diseases" |
| Paul J. Crutzen | Chemistry | 1995 | "for their work in atmospheric chemistry, particularly concerning the formation and decomposition of ozone" |
| Petrus (Peter) Josephus Wilhelmus Debye | Chemistry | 1936 | "for his contributions to our knowledge of molecular structure through his investigations on dipole moments and on the diffraction of X-rays and electrons in gases" |
| Hans G. Dehmelt | Physics | 1989 | "for the development of the ion trap technique" |
| Johann Deisenhofer | Chemistry | 1988 | "for the determination of the three-dimensional structure of a photosynthetic reaction centre" |
| Max Delbrück | Medicine | 1969 | "for their discoveries concerning the replication mechanism and the genetic structure of viruses" |
| Otto Paul Hermann Diels | Chemistry | 1950 | "for their discovery and development of the diene synthesis" |
| Gerhard Domagk | Medicine | 1939 | "for the discovery of the antibacterial effects of prontosil" |
| Paul Ehrlich | Medicine | 1908 | "in recognition of their work on immunity" |
| Manfred Eigen | Chemistry | 1967 | "for their studies of extremely fast chemical reactions, effected by disturbing the equlibrium by means of very short pulses of energy" |
| Albert Einstein | Physics | 1921 | "for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect" |
| Gerhard Ertl | Chemistry | 2007 | "for his studies of chemical processes on solid surfaces" |
| Rudolf Christoph Eucken | Literature | 1908 | "in recognition of his earnest search for truth, his penetrating power of thought, his wide range of vision, and the warmth and strength in presentation with which in his numerous works he has vindicated and developed an idealistic philosophy of life" |
| Hermann Emil Fischer | Chemistry | 1902 | "in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by his work on sugar and purine syntheses" |
| Hans Fischer | Chemistry | 1930 | "for his researches into the constitution of haemin and chlorophyll and especially for his synthesis of haemin" |
| Ernst Otto Fischer | Chemistry | 1973 | "for their pioneering work, performed independently, on the chemistry of the organometallic, so called sandwich compounds" |
| Werner Forssmann | Medicine | 1956 | "for their discoveries concerning heart catheterization and pathological changes in the circulatory system" |
| James Franck | Physics | 1925 | "for their discovery of the laws governing the impact of an electron upon an atom" |
| Joachim Frank | Chemistry | 2017 | "for developing cryo-electron microscopy for the high-resolution structure determination of biomolecules in solution" |
| Reinhard Genzel | Physics | 2020 | "for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy" |
| Peter Grünberg | Physics | 2007 | "for the discovery of Giant Magnetoresistance" |
| Fritz Haber | Chemistry | 1918 | "for the synthesis of ammonia from its elements" |
| Otto Hahn | Chemistry | 1944 | "for his discovery of the fission of heavy nuclei" |
| Theodor W. Hänsch | Physics | 2005 | "for their contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy, including the optical frequency comb technique" |
| Klaus Hasselmann | Physics | 2021 | "for the physical modelling of Earth's climate, quantifying variability and reliably predicting global warming." |
| Gerhart Johann Robert Hauptmann | Literature | 1912 | "primarily in recognition of his fruitful, varied and outstanding production in the realm of dramatic art" |
| Harald zur Hausen | Medicine | 2008 | "for his discovery of human papilloma viruses causing cervical cancer" |
| Werner Karl Heisenberg | Physics | 1932 | "for the creation of quantum mechanics, the application of which has, inter alia, led to the discovery of the allotropic forms of hydrogen" |
| Stefan W. Hell | Chemistry | 2014 | "for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy" |
| Gustav Ludwig Hertz | Physics | 1925 | "for their discovery of the laws governing the impact of an electron upon an atom" |
| Gerhard Herzberg | Chemistry | 1971 | "for his contributions to the knowledge of electronic structure and geometry of molecules, particularly free radicals" |
| Hermann Hesse | Literature | 1946 | "for his inspired writings which, while growing in boldness and penetration, exemplify the classical humanitarian ideals and high qualities of style" |
| Paul Johann Ludwig Heyse | Literature | 1910 | "as a tribute to the consummate artistry, permeated with idealism, which he has demonstrated during his long productive career as a lyric poet, dramatist, novelist and writer of world-renowned short stories" |
| Robert Huber | Chemistry | 1988 | "for the determination of the three-dimensional structure of a photosynthetic reaction centre" |
| J. Hans D. Jensen | Physics | 1963 | "for their discoveries concerning nuclear shell structure" |
| Sir Bernard Katz | Medicine | 1970 | "for their discoveries concerning the humoral transmittors in the nerve terminals and the mechanism for their storage, release and inactivation" |
| Wolfgang Ketterle | Physics | 2001 | "for the achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms, and for early fundamental studies of the properties of the condensates" |
| Henry A. Kissinger | Peace | 1973 | |
| Robert Koch | Medicine | 1905 | "for his investigations and discoveries in relation to tuberculosis" |
| Georges J.F. Köhler | Medicine | 1984 | "for theories concerning the specificity in development and control of the immune system and the discovery of the principle for production of monoclonal antibodies" |
| Albrecht Kossel | Medicine | 1910 | "in recognition of the contributions to our knowledge of cell chemistry made through his work on proteins, including the nucleic substances" |
| Hans Adolf Krebs | Medicine | 1953 | "for his discovery of the citric acid cycle" |
| Herbert Kroemer | Physics | 2000 | "for developing semiconductor heterostructures used in high-speed- and opto-electronics" |
| Richard Kuhn | Chemistry | 1938 | "for his work on carotenoids and vitamins" |
| Polykarp Kusch | Physics | 1955 | "for his precision determination of the magnetic moment of the electron" |
| Otto Loewi | Medicine | 1936 | "for their discoveries relating to chemical transmission of nerve impulses" |
| Feodor Lynen | Medicine | 1964 | "for their discoveries concerning the mechanism and regulation of the cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism" |
| Thomas Mann | Literature | 1929 | "principally for his great novel, Buddenbrooks, which has won steadily increased recognition as one of the classic works of contemporary literature" |
| Otto Fritz Meyerhof | Medicine | 1922 | "for his discovery of the fixed relationship between the consumption of oxygen and the metabolism of lactic acid in the muscle" |
| Hartmut Michel | Chemistry | 1988 | "for the determination of the three-dimensional structure of a photosynthetic reaction centre" |
| Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen | Literature | 1902 | "the greatest living master of the art of historical writing, with special reference to his monumental work, A history of Rome" |
| Rudolf Ludwig Mössbauer | Physics | 1961 | "for his researches concerning the resonance absorption of gamma radiation and his discovery in this connection of the effect which bears his name" |
| Erwin Neher | Medicine | 1991 | "for their discoveries concerning the function of single ion channels in cells" |
| Walther Hermann Nernst | Chemistry | 1920 | "in recognition of his work in thermochemistry" |
| Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard | Medicine | 1995 | "for their discoveries concerning the genetic control of early embryonic development" |
| Wilhelm Ostwald | Chemistry | 1909 | "in recognition of his work on catalysis and for his investigations into the fundamental principles governing chemical equilibria and rates of reaction" |
| Wolfgang Paul | Physics | 1989 | "for the development of the ion trap technique" |
| Arno Allan Penzias | Physics | 1978 | "for their discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation" |
| Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck | Physics | 1918 | "in recognition of the services he rendered to the advancement of Physics by his discovery of energy quanta" |
| John C. Polanyi | Chemistry | 1986 | "for their contributions concerning the dynamics of chemical elementary processes" |
| Ludwig Quidde | Peace | 1927 | |
| Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen | Physics | 1901 | "in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by the discovery of the remarkable rays subsequently named after him" |
| Ernst Ruska | Physics | 1986 | "for his fundamental work in electron optics, and for the design of the first electron microscope" |
| Nelly Sachs | Literature | 1966 | "for her outstanding lyrical and dramatic writing, which interprets Israel's destiny with touching strength" |
| Bert Sakmann | Medicine | 1991 | "for their discoveries concerning the function of single ion channels in cells" |
| Erwin Schrödinger | Physics | 1933 | "for the discovery of new productive forms of atomic theory" |
| Reinhard Selten | Economics | 1994 | "for their pioneering analysis of equilibria in the theory of non-cooperative games" |
| Hans Spemann | Medicine | 1935 | "for his discovery of the organizer effect in embryonic development" |
| Johannes Stark | Physics | 1919 | "for his discovery of the Doppler effect in canal rays and the splitting of spectral lines in electric fields" |
| Hermann Staudinger | Chemistry | 1953 | "for his discoveries in the field of macromolecular chemistry" |
| Jack Steinberger | Physics | 1988 | "for the neutrino beam method and the demonstration of the doublet structure of the leptons through the discovery of the muon neutrino" |
| Horst L. Störmer | Physics | 1998 | "for their discovery of a new form of quantum fluid with fractionally charged excitations" |
| Gustav Stresemann | Peace | 1926 | |
| Thomas C. Südhof | Medicine | 2013 | "for their discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, a major transport system in our cells" |
| Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff | Chemistry | 1901 | "in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by the discovery of the laws of chemical dynamics and osmotic pressure in solutions" |
| Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von Baeyer | Chemistry | 1905 | "in recognition of his services in the advancement of organic chemistry and the chemical industry, through his work on organic dyes and hydroaromatic compounds" |
| Emil Adolf von Behring | Medicine | 1901 | "for his work on serum therapy, especially its application against diphtheria, by which he has opened a new road in the domain of medical science and thereby placed in the hands of the physician a victorious weapon against illness and deaths" |
| Hans Karl August Simon von Euler-Chelpin | Chemistry | 1929 | "for their investigations on the fermentation of sugar and fermentative enzymes" |
| Karl von Frisch | Medicine | 1973 | "for their discoveries concerning organization and elicitation of individual and social behaviour patterns" |
| Klaus von Klitzing | Physics | 1985 | "for the discovery of the quantized Hall effect" |
| Max von Laue | Physics | 1914 | "for his discovery of the diffraction of X-rays by crystals" |
| Philipp Eduard Anton von Lenard | Physics | 1905 | "for his work on cathode rays" |
| Carl von Ossietzky | Peace | 1935 | |
| Otto Wallach | Chemistry | 1910 | "in recognition of his services to organic chemistry and the chemical industry by his pioneer work in the field of alicyclic compounds" |
| Otto Heinrich Warburg | Medicine | 1931 | "for his discovery of the nature and mode of action of the respiratory enzyme" |
| Rainer Weiss | Physics | 2017 | "for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves" |
| Heinrich Otto Wieland | Chemistry | 1927 | "for his investigations of the constitution of the bile acids and related substances" |
| Wilhelm Wien | Physics | 1911 | "for his discoveries regarding the laws governing the radiation of heat" |
| Richard Martin Willstätter | Chemistry | 1915 | "for his researches on plant pigments, especially chlorophyll" |
| Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus | Chemistry | 1928 | "for the services rendered through his research into the constitution of the sterols and their connection with the vitamins" |
| Georg Wittig | Chemistry | 1979 | "for their development of the use of boron- and phosphorus-containing compounds, respectively, into important reagents in organic synthesis" |
| Karl Ziegler | Chemistry | 1963 | "for their discoveries in the field of the chemistry and technology of high polymers" |
| Richard Adolf Zsigmondy | Chemistry | 1925 | "for his demonstration of the heterogenous nature of colloid solutions and for the methods he used, which have since become fundamental in modern colloid chemistry" |