We are going to close this blog down now. The Nobel committee press conference has ended. Our full story is here:
However, for more reaction (including Trump’s), you can turn to our US politics blog, which has just been launched:
Thank you for reading. We’ll be back next year.
A bit more on Machado and Trump:
In January, after Machado was held by force during a protest, Trump expressed his support. He called her a “democracy activist” and a “freedom fighter” who should not be harmed.
Machado says peace prize is 'an award to an entire movement' - Nobel Committee says
Machado has been contacted and is aware of her award, the Nobel Committee says.
(This is significant as there has been an ongoing issue of contacting Nobel winnners)
Reuters news agency is quoting the Committee secretary as saying Machado said, “this is an award for an entire movement”.
If they did let her know today, that’s an early start for Machado (it’s 5:40 am in Venezuela) but not a bad way to get woken up.
Click here for the full statement from the committee.
It is deeply critical of President Nicolás Maduro (although in keeping with the committee’s apolitical stance, it doesn’t name him):
Venezuela has evolved from a relatively democratic and prosperous country to a brutal, authoritarian state that is now suffering a humanitarian and economic crisis. Most Venezuelans live in deep poverty, even as the few at the top enrich themselves. The violent machinery of the state is directed against the country’s own citizens. Nearly 8 million people have left the country. The opposition has been systematically suppressed by means of election rigging, legal prosecution and imprisonment.
So Trump did not get the Nobel peace prize. But by choosing Machado, the committee has picked a political figure who has praised the US president, which might lessen the fallout.
In public comments, Machado has thanked Trump for his “commitment to freedom and democracy in Venezuela”.
She was also on this year’s TIME Magazine “100 most influential People” list. The justification was delivered by no other than Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, who said she was “the personification of resilience, tenacity, and patriotism”.
Some more on this year’s winner from the Committee:
In the past year, Miss Machado has been forced to live in hiding. Despite serious threats against her life, she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions. When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist.”
Asked about Trump pressure campaign, Nobel chair says committee has 'courage and integrity'
Responding to the question about the Trump lobbying effort to win the prize, Nobel committee chair, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, says the committee receives thousands of letters every year and makes its decision in a room “filled with both courage and integrity”.
Nobel committee chair, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, responds, saying they base their decision only on the “work and the will of Alfred Nobel”.
A question is being asked now on Trump’s demand that he receive the award.
BREAKING NEWS
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 10, 2025
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2025 #NobelPeacePrize to Maria Corina Machado for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to… pic.twitter.com/Zgth8KNJk9
The committee says “democracy depends on people who refuse to stay silent”.
Norwegian Nobel committee chair, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, commended Machado as a “brave and committed champion of peace” who “keeps the flame of democracy burning during a growing darkness”.
María Corina Machado win Nobel peace peace
Venezuela’s most influential opposition leader receives the award.
Here it comes. Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, is walking up to the podium.
The Nobel live stream (above) is giving some peace prize “fun facts” on screen while we all nervously wait, including:
Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai became the youngest winner of the prize after the Nobel committee acknowledged her “heroic struggle’ for girls’” right to an education. She was 17.
Announcement starts in 5 minutes. They’ve set up the podium:
Why is the peace prize held in Norway but the other Nobels are in Sweden?
In case you were wondering: The peace prize is the only Nobel prize awarded in Norway – the others are awarded in Stockholm.
Alfred Nobel, who bequeathed his fortune to establish the awards, left in his will, that only the peace prize is to be awarded by a Norwegian committee. Unfortunately, he left no explanation.
The other four prizes are awarded by Swedish committees. The Norwegian committee is composed of five members appointed by the Norwegian parliament, the Storting.
Updated
It is not just people who receive the prize. This year, 94 organisations have been nominated for consideration of the Committee.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague and Nato have been speculated as among the nominees. With the relentless war raging in Sudan, the local, volunteer-led Emergency Response Rooms (ERR) are reported to be on this year’s shortlist, too.
Chosing the ICC would send a firm message of support for an institution under threat. US President Donald Trump has imposed sanctions on the court, which had issued an arrest warrant for Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Trump was nominated by Netanyahu for the 2026 prize).
Just last year, an organisation was awarded the Nobel peace prize, with the Japanese atomic bomb survivor movement Nihon Hidankyo getting the award.
Since 1901, the prize has been awarded 31 times to organisations. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has received the prize twice, in 1954 and 1981. The Comité international de la Croix Rouge (International Committee of the Red Cross) received it three times: in 1917, 1944 – for their efforts during the wars - and in 1963.
Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, is getting his tie on (to some superhero style music, it seems …)
Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, is ready to announce the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 10, 2025
Keep watching for the big announcement. pic.twitter.com/0fC3CQZUns
But didn’t officials in Pakistan and Israel also nominate Trump this year?
Yes, they did. But too late for this year’s submissions, which ended in February. Meaning we’ll be back on the “will-Trump-get-a-peace-prize-merrygoround” next year.
Who has been nominated this year?
We don’t know for sure – the Norwegian Nobel Committee keeps the candidates’ names secret for 50 years, meaning there is no certainty and it’s all, frankly, guesswork.
However, there is a workaround. We have an idea of a few people who are likely to be on the list when nominators — who are eligible individuals like members of government or university professors — choose to publicise their submissions.
This year, those include:
Anti-occupation activists Issa Amro from Hebron, Palestine and Jeff Halper from Jerusalem. (Nominated by Norwegian MP Ingrid Fiskaa)
Donald Trump. The US president has said several times that he deserves the prize, and is openly envious that four of his predecessors, including Barack Obama, who have received the award. (Nominated by US Republican Representative Claudia Tenney)
Chow Hang-tung. A prominent barrister and human rights activist who is jailed in Hong Kong. (Nominated by Norwegian MP Guri Melby)
Updated
Welcome to the Nobel peace prize blog
Welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the 2025 Nobel peace prize. The winner is due to be announced in Oslo in an hour’s time.
Prepare yourself for surprises – winners are often unexpected, and the shortlist of nominees is not public. If the Norwegian Nobel Committee seeks to send a message, it can also be controversial. The committee has on several occasions sought to celebrate rights activists and shame oppressive regimes.
With major conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and fears over a time of breakdown in international order, the committee’s choice today could be interpreted as a pointed signal on key failings from world leaders.
Last year, the Japanese atomic bomb survivor movement Nihon Hidankyo received the award. This year, the committee has a total of 338 candidates to choose from (244 of which are individuals and 94 organisations).
Other past winners include presidents, campaigners and organisations, from US President Jimmy Carter to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, from Nelson Mandela to the late Chinese rights activist Liu Xiaobo, from the EU to International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
Norwegian politicians have been steeling themselves for potential repercussions to US-Norway relations if it is not awarded to Donald Trump.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee pointedly said on Thursday that it had reached a decision about who would be named 2025 peace prize laureate on Monday, several days before Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire under the US president’s Gaza plan.
Taking into account the timeframe and the composition of the independent five-person committee, most Nobel experts and Norwegian observers believe it is highly unlikely that Trump will be awarded the prize, leading to fears in the country over how he will react to being overlooked so publicly.
Follow us here for all the buildup, the announcement, and, of course, the reaction.
