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[Herald Economy=Reporter Jang Yoon-woo] This year’s Nobel Peace Prize field includes 287 nominees — 208 individuals and 79 organizations — a substantial increase in new names from last year.On the 30th, Kristian Berg Harpviken, secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, told Reuters, “Even as conflicts rise worldwide and international cooperation comes under pressure, the importance of the Nobel Peace Prize is greater than ever.” Harpviken assumed his post in January.
The committee keeps its nomination list sealed for 50 years. Still, since leaders from Cambodia, Israel and Pakistan publicly said they had nominated U.S. President Donald Trump, observers expect he is among the candidates. The nomination deadline was Jan. 31.
President Trump has shown a pronounced interest in the prize. In a January letter to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, he complained, “Even though I’ve stopped more than eight wars, your country has decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize.” In January, Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader and a 2025 laureate, visited the White House and presented her medal to President Trump.
South Korean citizens who helped overcome the Dec. 3 emergency-martial-law crisis are also believed to have been nominated. In February, Kim Eui-young, a professor of political science and international relations at Seoul National University, said political scientists — including former and current presidents of the International Political Science Association (IPA) — nominated South Korea’s “Citizen Collective” to the Nobel Committee in January. They argued the group represents a global model for resolving an unconstitutional state of emergency through nonviolent civic action, without civil war or repression.
Betting sites that track likely winners have mainly mentioned Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the Russian opposition leader who died in custody; Pope Leo XIV; and volunteer relief groups in Sudan.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner will be announced on Oct. 9. The award ceremony will be held on Dec. 10 in Oslo, Norway.
