The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced Friday in Oslo, marking the 125th edition of an award that has recognized 112 individuals and 28 organizations since 1901. This year’s selection follows nominations from 287 candidates, including just over a quarter of them organizations, with the Norwegian Nobel Committee prioritizing efforts that advance international cooperation and sustainable peacebuilding.
The prize carries a 12 million Swedish kronor award, about $1.2 million, whether given to a single laureate or a group. Last year’s recipient, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, received the honor for her role in advocating for democratic transition in Venezuela. Her medal was later given to former U.S. President Donald Trump, though the Nobel Committee has clarified that the award itself cannot be transferred.
Predictions for this year’s winner vary widely. Possible contenders include the International Space Station, emergency response teams in Sudan, children’s rights advocates in Ukraine, and two international courts. Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada has attracted attention in prediction markets, while Trump, who has repeatedly claimed he deserves the prize, remains a frequent topic of discussion.
The Nobel Peace Prize has a history of recognizing both high-profile figures and lesser-known institutions. The Red Cross has won three times, while the United Nations refugee agency has been honored twice. Only 20 of the 112 individual laureates have been women, though eight of those awards have come in the past 15 years. Education activist Malala Yousafzai is the youngest laureate; she won at 17 in 2014.
The United States is the most-credited country, with 24 awards naming U.S. institutions or individuals, ahead of the United Kingdom (13) and Switzerland (11). No laureate listed as American has won since U.S. President Barack Obama was awarded in 2009. The prize has gone unawarded on 19 occasions, most of them during the world wars. In 1948, no prize was given after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, despite 12 prior nominations. In 1939, a Swedish member of parliament nominated Adolf Hitler, then withdrew the nomination, saying it was never meant seriously.
Nominations for the peace prize come from a restricted group: heads of state, university professors, past laureates, and members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. This year’s other Nobel awards, medicine, physics, chemistry, literature, and economics, have already been announced, with the economic sciences prize set for Monday.
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