The Nobel Peace Prize

Malala Yousafzai – awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize – donated this scarf to the Nobel Prize Museum which she wore when she argued for all children's right to education at the United Nations headquarters in 2013.

Photo: Nobel Prize Museum

About the prize

“The said interest shall be divided into five equal parts, which shall be apportioned as follows: /- – -/ one part to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”  (Excerpt from the will of Alfred Nobel)

Alfred Nobel showed a big interest in social issues and was engaged in the peace movement. His acquaintance with Bertha von Suttner, who was a driving force in the international peace movement in Europe and later awarded the peace prize, influenced his views on peace. Peace was the fifth and final prize area that Nobel mentioned in his will. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by a committee elected by the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget).

See all peace laureates or learn about the nomination process.

Nobel Peace Prize 2026

Peace requires justice

At a time of existential challenges – including more wars and conflicts than the world has seen in a long time – international law is no longer just a supplement to peace and security. It is an absolute necessity.

In historic international court cases, Navi Pillay has shown that legal measures can help prevent acts of war and violence. She has also contributed to strengthen the institutions of international law. Her independence, expertise and steadfastness have made her one of the most respected international jurists of our time.

Press release

An illustration of a gavel in front of books

Ill. Niklas Elmehed © Nobel Prize Outreach

The 2026 peace laureate

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 to Navi Pillay “for her efforts to promote peace and international law.”

Navi Pillay’s commitment to universal legal principles and her firm moral compass are constants in a long career. A common thread runs from her early work defending Nelson Mandela and others who stood up against apartheid to her service as a judge in some of the key international court cases of our time.

Navi Pillay has held states and national leaders accountable and brought hope to victims of violence and conflict. In all the positions she has held, she has stressed the responsibility of individuals and states to comply with the rule of law.

Navanethem

Ill. Niklas Elmehed © Nobel Prize Outreach

Do you agree that international law is a necessity for peace and security?

Explore prizes and laureates

Behind the scenes

Questions and answers

Can anyone be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize?

Listen to the Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Jørgen Watne Frydnes on the nomination process of the peace prize.

Nobel Prize nominations

Nobel Peace Prize 2026

2026 Nobel Peace Prize nominations

The Norwegian Nobel Committee received a total of 287 candidates for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. 79 of these are organisations.

Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony 2021.

Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony 2021 in the Oslo City Hall in Norway.

© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Geir Anders Rybakken Ørslien.

Q&A

Are the nominations made public?

Did you know that there is no public list of the current year’s nominees for the peace prize? The complete list of nominees of any year’s prizes is not disclosed for 50 years. The same goes for all the prize categories. Learn more about the nomination process in this Q&A.

Peace Prize nomination process

The nomination process for Nobel Peace Prize laureates.

© Nobel Media. Ill. Niklas Elmehed

Who did what?

Questions and answers

Can you award a Nobel Prize posthumously?

No, it is not possible to nominate someone for a posthumous Nobel Prize. Find out more in the FAQ.

1993 Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony

The Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony at Oslo City Hall, Norway, on 10 December 1993.

© Knudsens fotosenter/Dextra Photo, Norsk Teknisk Museum.

Nobel Peace Conference

Democracy on the brink

Gen Z leaders in conversation with Nobel Peace Prize laureates about what democracy needs to survive.
Read more and watch live

Nobel Prizes and laureates

The traditional costume Kailash Satyarthi wore when he received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo in 2014.

Photo: Nobel Prize Museum

All Nobel Peace Prizes

See the full list of peace prizes and laureates

Articles in peace

Featured laureates

Discover more

Laureates in opposition to nuclear weapons

A number of Nobel Prize laureates have been lauded for their opposition to the deadly arsenals that jeopardise our very existence.

People holding a banner with the text Cease-fire

IPPNW Cease-fire campaign, 1989.

Wellcome Images, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

A three-time awardee

The Red Cross has been awarded three times – read about their work.

Red Cross - Armband

Armlet for the Red Cross.

Photo: Nobel Prize Museum

Nobel Peace Prize 2011

Mobilised women for peace

Leymah Gbowee worked for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.

Leymah Gbowee-03.jpg

Leymah Gbowee gave a lecture at Stockholm university on 27 March 2025. “Peace is not the absence of war. Peace is the presence of conditions that give dignity to all,” Leymah said.

© Nobel Prize Outreach. Photo: Nanaka Adachi

Nobel Peace Prize 1964

Advanced racial equality

Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent struggle for civil rights in the United States.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Photo: Library of Congress.

Nobel Peace Prize 1993

Ending apartheid

Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk brought a peaceful end to the apartheid regime, laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa.

Nelson Mandela celebrating his freedom

On 11 February 1990 Nelson Mandela became a free man after spending 27 years in prison. Here he is celebrating his freedom with his wife Winnie Mandela.

Photo by Allan Tannenbaum/Getty Images

Five documentaries inspired by the Nobel Peace Prize

“One wrong step will cost me my life”

Follow Hana Khider and her all-female team of Yazidi deminers attempting to clear their land of mines. Their job involves painstakingly searching for booby traps in bombed out buildings and fields, where one wrong move means certain death. Watch all five documentaries inspired by the Nobel Peace Prize.

Delve deeper

Mahatma Gandhi – The missing laureate

Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948) has become the strongest symbol of non-violence in the 20th century. It is widely held – in retrospect – that the Indian national leader should have been selected for the Nobel Peace Prize. He was nominated several times, but was never awarded the prize. Why?

Mahatma Gandhi laughing

Mahatma Gandhi laughing.

Photo: Public domain.