General Discussion

The Norwegian Nobel Institute said that a Nobel Peace Prize cannot be transferred or shared with another person, responding to comments by Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who said she wanted to "share" her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize with U.S. President Donald Trump.

"A Nobel Prize cannot be revoked nor transferred to others. Once the laureate or laureates are announced, the decision is final," said Erik Aasheim, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Nobel Institute, which serves as the secretariat for the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Aasheim added that while the prize itself is not transferable, laureates are free to dispose of the prize money as they see fit.

The statement followed remarks by Machado during a Fox News interview on Monday, in which she praised Trump's actions that led to the capture of Venezuela's former president, Nicolás Maduro, and said that "because this is the prize of the Venezuelan people, certainly we want to give it to him and share it with him." Machado said she had not spoken directly with Trump since October, when she dedicated the award to him after it was announced.