The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Marina Corina Machado, a Venezuelan opposition leader, it was announced Friday at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo.
Machado won “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 democracy,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said in its citation.
Machado, who turned 58 earlier this week, has spent months in hiding because of threats to her life. She was detained for a time in January after an opposition rally.
The Nobel Prizes are presented to the laureates in a ceremony on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel’s death, but the committee said it was not clear if Machado would be able to attend due to security reasons.
The committee selected Machado from a list of 338 nominees, which it said was a significant increase from the number of nominations last year.
U.S. President Donald Trump has openly campaigned to be considered for the honour. But the deadline for nominations for the 2025 prize was January 31, just days into his second, non-consecutive term as president.
Jørgen Watne Frydnes from the Norwegian Nobel Institute, responding to a reporter question about Trump’s politicking for the honour, said through its history the committee has received thousands of letters advocating for specific candidates.
