Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was named the winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize early Friday, dashing the hopes of President Donald Trump who reportedly wanted the title.
Per the announcement, Machado was deemed the winner for her attempts to achieve a democratic transition of power in Venezuela with President Nicolás Maduro’s administration. The government later blocked her candidacy.
Machado’s win
The Norwegian Nobel committee announced Friday that Machado was the winner of the coveted Nobel Peace Prize. The committee highlighted Machado’s efforts for a “peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Jørgen Watne Frydnes, the chair of the Nobel committee, celebrated Machado’s efforts, calling her a “key, unifying figure” in the opposition to Maduro’s authoritarian government. He noted that in the last year since the Venezuela election, Machado had been forced to live in hiding yet remained in the country.
“When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist,” he said.
Maduro ran for a third term in 2024 and the National Electoral Council, backed by Maduro, claimed he won the election without providing evidence. Machado and the opposition made international headlines when they publicized the vote counts that showed Maduro had clearly lost the race.
The Nobel committee noted in its release that democracy is a precondition for peace but around the world it is at risk. More authoritarian regimes are “challenging norms and resorting to violence,” the committee said.
The committee said it has been committed to honoring people who have stood up to repression, carried hope and shown that peaceful resistance can “change the world.” Machado met all three, the committee said.
Frydnes said Machado was awarded the prize because she is an “extraordinary example of civilian courage.”
Machado accepted the prize with “profound gratitude” and on behalf of the people of Venezuela who fought for freedom with “courage, dignity, intelligence, and love.” She said the award injects energy and confidence to Venezuelans to carry on the opposition work and the award demonstrates that the global community recognizes their struggle.
In a post online, Machado said she counts on Trump, the people of the United States and around the world to achieve their goal of freedom and democracy.
“I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!” she wrote.
Frydnes said he hopes that Machado would be able to travel and accept the award in person later this year, but since she has serious threats on her life, she may not be able to return to Venezuela if she leaves.
Trump’s attempt for recognition
Trump had been pining to be named the 2025 winner for months. The president did not directly comment on being passed over for the award, but reposted Machado’s post recognizing him.
White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung posted online that Trump will continue making “peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives,” nodding to the recent peace plan agreed upon by Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza.
“He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will,” Cheung said. “The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace.”
Trump had been nominated by several people and organizations for the award. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, dedicated to Israeli hostages taken by Hamas, nominated the president, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nominated Trump for his efforts to end the two-year war. Many of Trump’s nominations happened after the Feb. 1 deadline for the award.
Trump maintained that he was deserving of the prize for settling “seven wars” but also acknowledged that the committee would “find a reason not to give it to me.” He criticized former President Barack Obama for receiving the award for “doing nothing.”
History of the award
The Nobel Prize is a legacy and way to honor Swedish businessman Alfred Nobel. He died in 1896 and left behind what was considered one of the world’s largest fortunes. Nobel wrote in his will that awards would be given in several categories, including physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace, the committee said.
The Nobel Peace Prize was directed to be given to the person who “shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses.”
The five-person committee is selected by the Norwegian parliament. The first Nobel prizes were awarded in 1901.
Just three sitting U.S. presidents have been awarded the prize. Theodore Roosevelt earned it in 1906, Woodrow Wilson in 1919 and Barack Obama in 2009. Jimmy Carter won the prize in 2002 after leaving office and former Vice President Al Gore received it in 2007.
Machado winning the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize makes her the 20th woman to earn the title.