Top Contenders for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize: Trump, Musk, Khan Among Notable Nominees

Billionaire Elon Musk, US President Donald Trump and Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan are among the figures being discussed as potential Nobel Peace Prize recipients.

The world's attention is focused on US President Donald Trump as the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize announcement approaches this Friday. Trump has consistently expressed his desire to receive this prestigious global peace accolade.

According to the Nobel Committee, this year features 338 candidates for the Peace Prize, comprising 244 individuals and 94 organizations. This represents an increase from last year's 286 nominations. While the committee maintains confidentiality regarding nominees, several prominent names have emerged through speculation and self-announced nominations. Here are some notable candidates reportedly nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.

US President Donald Trump has been vocal and persistent in his campaign for the Nobel Peace Prize, repeatedly utilizing various platforms to articulate why he believes he "deserves" this honor. His nomination has come from multiple sources both within the United States and international leaders. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet have all submitted nominations for Trump to the award committee in Norway.

Within the United States, Congressman Buddy Carter nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize "in recognition of his historic role in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Iran."

It should be noted that nominations from Israeli PM Netanyahu and Pakistan's government were submitted after the February 1 deadline for the 2025 award consideration.

During a speech to military officials at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia last month, Trump remarked, "Nobody's ever done that. Will you get the Nobel Prize? Absolutely not. They'll give it to some guy that didn't do a damn thing."

Pope Francis, who passed away in April, received a nomination earlier this year. However, the Nobel Peace Prize has never been awarded posthumously. Norway's Dag Inge Ulstein of the Christian Democratic Party had nominated the late Pope for "his unstoppable contribution to promoting binding and comprehensive peace and fraternity between people, people groups and states." The Pope had previously been nominated in 2022 for his peace efforts, reconciliation work, and climate advocacy.

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, currently incarcerated, has been nominated by members of the Pakistan World Alliance (PWA) and the Norwegian political party Partiet Sentrum.

In an announcement on X, Partiet Sentrum stated, "We are pleased to announce on behalf of Partiet Sentrum that in alliance with somebody with the right to nominate, we have nominated Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, to the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with human rights and democracy in Pakistan." Khan was previously nominated in 2019 for his efforts to promote peace across South Asia.

Billionaire Elon Musk has been nominated for his advocacy of free speech. Branko Grims, a European Parliament member from Slovenia, confirmed that a petition for Musk's nomination had been submitted to the Nobel Committee for his defense of "the fundamental human right of freedom of speech and peace."

Grims shared a screenshot on X showing the confirmation email from the committee, which stated, "Your nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize 2025 has been successfully submitted."

He added, "The proposal that Mr. Elon Musk, for his consistent support for the fundamental human right of freedom of speech and thus for peace, receives the Nobel Peace Prize 2025, was successfully submitted today."

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has been nominated by Prof Dr Datuk Osman Bakar and Prof Dr Phar Kim Beng for "his commitment to dialogue, regional harmony, and peace through non-coercive diplomacy." They also highlighted his "timely role in the Thailand–Cambodia ceasefire."