The leader of the Venezuelan opposition to the Bolivarian regime, María Corina Machado, met on Thursday (15) with President Donald Trump at the White House, in Washington, and confirmed that, received in October. The unusual act left a question in the air: can a laureate with this distinction present the award to someone else?
According to the award regulations, there is no impediment. Information on the official website highlights that there is no possibility of revoking the peace prize. “Under our regulations, it is not possible to revoke the Nobel Peace Prize. The peace prize is awarded to people or organizations for their contributions in the period prior to receiving the prize. We cannot be responsible for what a Nobel Prize laureate does after receiving the prize,” the website says.
“Of course, it is always possible for the award committee to make a mistake, and that is a responsibility we have to accept, but we never revoke an award,” he adds.
The Nobel Peace Center itself took to social media to reinforce that the medal awarded to the laureate may even change ownership, but the title of winner of the award remains unchanged.
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“Sign of brotherhood”
Upon leaving the meeting, María Corina gave a historical meaning to the gesture. She recalled that the Marquis de Lafayette, who fought in the American War of Independence, presented Simón Bolívar with a medal with the effigy of George Washington. She said the gift was “a sign of the brotherhood” between her country and the U.S. “in their fight for freedom against tyranny,” Machado said. “And, 200 years later, the people of Bolívar return a medal to Washington’s heir, in this case, the Nobel Peace Prize medal, as recognition for his unique commitment to our freedom,” he added.
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Trump took to his Truth Social network to thank: “It was a great honor to meet María Corina Machado from Venezuela today. She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María awarded me her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I did. A wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you, María!”, he wrote.
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Nomination process
The process from the first nominations to the award presentation is long and takes months to complete. Between September of the previous year and February 1, the Norwegian Nobel Committee began to receive nominations, which came from various accepted sources, such as members of assemblies, governments and international courts; university presidents, professors of social sciences, history, philosophy, law and theology; leaders of peace research institutes and foreign affairs institutes; previous Nobel Peace Prize laureates; board members of organizations that have received the Nobel Peace Prize. This is in addition to current and former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and former advisors to the Norwegian Nobel Institute.
An important point is that no one can nominate themselves, as Trump did unofficially last year.
In recent years, the Committee has received almost 200 nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. The number of nomination letters is much greater, as many are for the same candidates.
Between February and March, a short (or restricted) list of names is drawn up. This list is not published because the Nobel Prize has a 50-year secrecy rule. This list is reviewed by counselors between March and August. In early October, the Nobel Committee chooses the Nobel Peace Prize laureates by majority vote, a decision that is final and without appeal. The names of the laureates are then announced.
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The prize is awarded in December, at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway, when the Nobel Prize medal and diploma are presented, as well as a document confirming the value of the prize – in 2025, the value was 11 million Swedish crowns, or around R$6 million.
Brazilians nominated until 1975
As the secrecy lasts 50 years, in 2025 the official reduced list from 1975 was opened. On that occasion, the former bishop of Recife and Olinda Dom Hélder Câmara had his name evaluated by the counselors. The Brazilian religious leader actually received 71 nominations between 1970 and 1975.
But Brazil never received the peace prize. According to the Nobel website, names such as Barão do Rio Branco, Oswaldo Aranha, Josué de Castro, Marechal Rondon and the brothers Orlando and Claudio Villas-Boas, among others, received nominations.
