The Nobel Peace Prize remains tied only to the person officially awarded it, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said Friday, after Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado presented her 2025 Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump during a White House visit.
In a statement from Oslo, the Nobel Committee made clear that the physical medal, diploma and prize money can be given away, donated, sold or otherwise handed over – but the honor itself stays with the original winner.
“Regardless of what may happen to the medal, the diploma, or the prize money, it is and remains the original laureate who is recorded in history as the recipient of the prize,” the Nobel Committee’s clarification cited by AFP news agency read.
No restrictions on medal use
Tthe Nobel Committee also said that even if the medal or diploma later comes into someone else’s possession, it does not change who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, AFP reported.
It added that it would not comment “on Peace Prize laureates or the political processes that they are engaged in.”
Also Read | Why Venezuela’s Maria Machado presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal
The Nobel body reportedly noted that there are no restrictions on what laureates do with the medal, diploma or prize money they receive. It also pointed out that there have been several instances in the past where Nobel laureates have sold or given away their medals.
The comments came a day after Machado said she had “presented” her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump, a gesture that followed her sidelining by the US president after the ouster of Nicolas Maduro.
Trump accepts medal
Trump had campaigned strongly for last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, citing what he described as his efforts to stop eight wars. The prize, however, went to Machado.
After receiving the medal from her, Trump confirmed on Truth Social that he had accepted it, even as the Nobel Committee reiterated that the prize cannot be “revoked, shared, or transferred to others.”
“It was my Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today. She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!”
Why Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize
Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for “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,” according to the award citation.
She had travelled to Oslo last month to collect the prize after making a daring escape from Venezuela by boat. At the time, she dedicated the honour to Trump.
