No, Nicolaus Copernicus was not awarded a Nobel Prize, nor would it ever be possible based on rules of nomination. The Nobel Foundation was created in 1900 and the first Prizes were awarded in 1901. A complete overview of Statues of The Nobel Foundation and complete lists of all winners can be found on their website. http://nobelprize.org/index.html According to the site: Work produced by a person since deceased shall not be considered for an award. If, however, a prizewinner dies before he has received the prize, then the prize may be presented. From MSN Encarta Encyclopedia http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761571204/copernicus.html Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish astronomer, best known for his astronomical theory that the sun is at rest near the center of the universe, and that the earth, spinning on its axis once daily, revolves annually around the sun. Copernicus was born on February 19, 1473, in Thorn (now ToruĊ), Poland and died on May 24, 1543.