Nobel Peace Prize 2025 LIVE: Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 on Friday, while US President Donald Trump missed out on the chance to bag the honour. The committee recognised Machado's “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela" and "her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Following her victory, Machado expressed gratitude and wrote on X, “This recognition of the struggle of all Venezuelans is a boost to conclude our task: to conquer Freedom. We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy.”
She added, “I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!”
US President Donald Trump, who was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, has repeatedly claimed that he “deserves" the award, citing his self-proclaimed role in ending several conflicts. The President asserted that he has stopped or de-escalated “seven wars,” and more recently, he suggested the number could rise to eight with the addition of the Gaza ceasefire.
Who is Maria Corina Machado?
As per the Nobel Peace Prize committee's website, Maria Corina Machado has led the struggle for democracy in Venezuela.
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The White House had criticized the Nobel Committee's decision to grant the peace prize to the Venezuelan opposition leader instead of Trump, who aggressively lobbied for the award and touted his role in brokering international ceasefire deals.
"President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives. He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will," White House spokesman Steven Cheung said in a post on X.
"The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace."
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Nobel Prize winner Maria Corina Machado called him and said she accepted the prize in his honor, after the White House said earlier in the day that the Nobel Committee had chosen "politics over peace."
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize to the people of Venezuela and US President Donald Trump.
"I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!" she wrote on X.
Nobel Prize 2025 LIVE: According to the official website, Alfred Nobel's will stated that the ‘Nobel Peace Prize’ should be awarded to a person “who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”
They also mentioned that over time, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded in recognition of various forms of peace work and concepts of peace.
Donald Trump reacted to Vladimir Putin’s post that highlighted the US president's peace efforts. On his Truth Social handle, Trump said, “Thank you to President Putin!” This marks Donald Trump’s first public comment following the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
Russian President Vladimir Putin reacted to President Donald Trump missing out on the Nobel Peace Prize 2025, saying that the POTUS "solves complex problems, crises that last for decades.”
The Oslo-based Norwegian Nobel Committee said in a statement Friday that Maria Corina Machado will receive the prize worth 11 million Swedish kronor ($1.2 million) “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. "
Advocating for Trump's victory, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier shared an AI-generated image of the US President receiving the Nobel Peace Prize after both sides agreed to the deal.
Human Rights Watch said on Friday that Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado's win for the Nobel Peace Prize reinforces the need for a democratic transition in the country.
"Ultimately, this reinforces the need for a democratic transition in Venezuela," Juan Pappier, Americas deputy director for Human Rights Watch, said in an interview with Reuters.
“I hope this reinvigorates the international support for the cause of a democratic transition in Venezuela,” Pappier added.
In a post on the social media platform X, Maria Machado thanked US President Donald Trump and wrote, “We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy.”
She added, “I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!”
In a post on X, Machado said, “We are on the threshold of victory and today more than ever we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our main allies to achieve freedom and democracy.”
Eligible nominators for the Nobel Peace Prize include university chancellors and rectors; professors teaching political science, social science, history, philosophy, law, and theology; individuals leading peace research institutes and international affairs institutes; members of national assemblies; government officials and members of international courts of law; past Nobel Peace Prize laureates; board members of organisations that have previously received the prize; and, finally, current and former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, as well as former advisers to the Nobel Institute.
The nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize differs from other Nobel Prizes because the Norwegian Nobel Committee does not decide the nominees and winners. Instead, anyone from anywhere can nominate an individual or organisation, provided they meet the criteria to be considered a nominator.
The Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 was announced on October 10, at 11 am Central European Summer Time (CEST), that is, at 2.30 pm Indian Standard Time (IST).
“I am just part of a huge movement. I’m humbled, I’m grateful, and I’m honoured,” Maria said in an interview posted on the X handle of the Nobel Prize.
The United Nations human rights office welcomed Machado's award as a recognition of “the clear aspirations of the people of Venezuela for free and fair elections,” Reuters reported.
"We're not there yet. We're working very hard to achieve it, but I'm sure that we will prevail," Maria told Kristian Berg Harpviken, the director of the Nobel Institute and secretary of the Nobel Committee, when he called to inform her that she had won the 2025 prize.
The White House criticised the Nobel Prize committee's choice to award the peace prize to a Venezuelan opposition leader rather than U.S. President Donald Trump.
"President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives. He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will," White House spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a post on X, adding that “The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace.”
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen celebrated Maria Corina Machado's Nobel Peace Prize victory.
"In Venezuela and across the world. It sends a powerful message. The spirit of freedom cannot be jailed. The thirst for democracy always prevails. Dear Maria, the fight continues," von der Leyen wrote on X.
The Oslo-based Norwegian Nobel Committee said in a statement Friday that Maria Corina Machado will receive the prize worth 11 million Swedish kronor ($1.2 million) “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. "
This year, there were 338 nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize, comprising 244 individuals and 94 organisations.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado expressed shock after learning that she had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, AFP reported.
"I'm in shock!" Machado said in a call to Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who replaced her as candidate in the last presidential elections, the report said.
