Nobel Peace Prize 2025: Complete Guide to Nomination Process, Selection Criteria, and Announcement Details

The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize announcement is scheduled for October 10, with 338 nominees under consideration. The complete list remains confidential for 50 years.

Oslo:

The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner will be revealed on October 10. Here's an explanation of how this prestigious award functions:

WHO MAKES THE DECISION?

The five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee, appointed by Norway's parliament, holds this responsibility. Committee members typically include retired politicians, though not exclusively. Currently, the committee is chaired by the head of PEN International's Norwegian branch, an organization dedicated to freedom of expression, with another member being an academic.

All committee members are nominated by Norwegian political parties, with appointments reflecting the parliamentary power distribution in Norway.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

In simple terms: anyone matching the criteria established in Alfred Nobel's 1895 will. The Swedish industrialist specified the prize should recognize individuals who have "done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and the establishment and promotion of peace congresses."

Kristian Berg Harpviken, the committee's secretary who prepares materials for the award body, explains that the prize "needs to be placed in the current context." While he participates in deliberations, he doesn't have voting rights.

"They will look at the world, see what is happening, what are the global trends, what are the main concerns, what are the most promising processes that we see," he told Reuters.

"And processes here can mean anything from a specific peace process to a new type of international agreement that is under development or that has recently been adopted."

WHO CAN SUBMIT NOMINATIONS?

Nomination privileges extend to thousands: government and parliament members, current heads of state, university professors specializing in history, social sciences, law and philosophy, former Nobel Peace Prize laureates, and others.

This year features 338 nominees. The complete list remains sealed in a vault for five decades.

HOW DOES THE SELECTION PROCESS WORK?

The nomination deadline is January 31. Committee members may submit their own nominations by the first February meeting.

After discussing all nominations, they create a shortlist. Each potential recipient undergoes assessment by permanent advisers and other experts.

The committee convenes approximately monthly to evaluate nominations. According to Harpviken, the decision typically occurs in August or September.

The committee strives for consensus, but if unattainable, decisions are made by majority vote.

The last committee resignation in protest happened in 1994, when Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat shared the prize with Israeli leaders Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin.

WHO ARE THE NOMINEES?

While the nomination list remains confidential, nominators may disclose their submissions, though verification is impossible.

This year's publicly disclosed nominations include the International Criminal Court, NATO, imprisoned Hong Kong activist Chow Hang-tung, and Canadian human rights lawyer Irwin Cotler.

Leaders from Cambodia, Israel, and Pakistan have claimed to nominate U.S. President Donald Trump. However, these nominations occurred after the January 31 deadline, invalidating them for the 2025 prize.

COULD TRUMP WIN?

Nobel experts suggest this would require policy changes, as his current approach appears to dismantle the international order cherished by the committee.

Experts believe the committee might instead highlight humanitarian organizations, journalists, or UN institutions. Alternatively, they could deliver an unexpected selection.

Last year's recipient was Japanese atomic bomb survivors group Nihon Hidankyo, reflecting the committee's longstanding concern regarding nuclear weapons.

WHAT DOES THE WINNER RECEIVE?

The laureate receives a medal, a diploma, 11 million Swedish crowns ($1.19 million), and immediate worldwide attention.

WHEN ARE THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND CEREMONY?

The announcement will take place at 11:00 CET (09:00 GMT) on Friday, October 10, at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo, delivered by committee chair Joergen Watne Frydnes.

The ceremony will be held at Oslo City Hall on December 10, commemorating Alfred Nobel's death anniversary.