Nobel Peace Prize Looms as Trump’s Hopes Fade
The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday, just a day after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire and hostage release deal — a development likely too late to help US President Donald Trump secure the award he has long coveted.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee is set to reveal the recipient of the world’s most anticipated honour at 11:00 a.m. (0900 GMT) in Oslo.
Although Trump’s diplomatic pressure reportedly played a role in the Gaza breakthrough, experts believe the timing rules out any influence on the committee’s decision, which was finalised earlier this week.
“The Gaza deal has absolutely no significance for the 2025 laureate, as the Nobel Committee has already made its choice,” said historian and Nobel expert Asle Sveen. “Trump will not win the prize this year. I’m 100 percent certain.”
Sveen noted that Trump had long granted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wide latitude in Gaza and provided significant military support to Israel, actions at odds with the ideals behind the Peace Prize.
Since returning to the White House for his second term in January, Trump has repeatedly claimed he deserves the Nobel for allegedly resolving multiple global conflicts — a claim many experts dismiss as exaggerated.
Asked about his chances, Trump said on Thursday: “I don’t know what they’re going to do, really. But I know this — nobody in history has solved eight wars in nine months. And Gaza was the biggest of them all.”
However, analysts in Oslo say his “America First” approach contradicts Alfred Nobel’s vision of promoting peace and international cooperation.
This year’s competition features 338 nominees, though the names remain secret for 50 years. With no clear frontrunner, speculation is high.
Potential contenders include Sudan’s Emergency Response Rooms — volunteer networks aiding civilians amid war and famine — and Yulia Navalnaya, widow of the late Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny.
The Nobel Committee might also choose to highlight global institutions such as the United Nations, its refugee agency (UNHCR), or Palestinian relief body UNRWA, all of which symbolise efforts to sustain global order and humanitarian values.
Other possible recipients include international courts like the ICJ or ICC, or organisations defending press freedom such as the Committee to Protect Journalists or Reporters Without Borders.
“There will definitely be a laureate this year,” confirmed Nobel Institute spokesman Erik Aasheim, dismissing rumours of a no-award decision amid global unrest.
Last year, the prize went to Nihon Hidankyo, a group of survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings campaigning against nuclear weapons.
The Nobel Peace Prize comprises a diploma, a gold medal, and a $1.2 million reward. The Nobel season concludes on Monday with the economics prize.