Oslo/Caracas, 10 Oct 2025 – Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her relentless efforts to defend democratic rights and push for a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy in Venezuela. The announcement was made by Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
“In the past year, Ms. Machado has been forced to live in hiding. Despite serious threats to her life, she has remained in the country, inspiring millions,” the committee said. “She has united the opposition, resisted the militarization of Venezuelan society, and consistently supported a peaceful transition to democracy.”
The 58-year-old politician, widely known as Venezuela’s ‘Iron Lady,’ has been in hiding since last year’s presidential election, widely criticized as rigged in favor of incumbent President Nicolas Maduro. Machado had been barred from running, and despite opposition claims that she was the rightful winner, Maduro declared victory, prompting a crackdown on dissent.
Machado, an industrial engineer and founder of the liberal political party Vente Venezuela, served in the National Assembly from 2010 to 2015. Over the years, she has faced arrests, travel bans, and ongoing political persecution but has remained in Venezuela, earning global recognition for her courage.
In August, Machado publicly thanked then-US President Donald Trump after the United States doubled its reward for Maduro’s capture to USD 50 million. “We, Venezuelans, thank President Trump and his administration for their firm and decisive action to dismantle the criminal and terrorist structure that is illegitimately holding onto power in our country,” she tweeted.
The announcement defied expectations of a months-long campaign by Trump, who had suggested that he deserved the prize for resolving multiple conflicts worldwide. Frydnes said the committee only considers the merits of nominees in line with Alfred Nobel’s will. “We base our decision solely on the work and the spirit of Nobel’s vision,” he said. Nominations for the 2025 prize closed on January 31, shortly after Trump took office, making his claims about resolving eight wars irrelevant.
The Nobel Peace Prize committee received 338 nominations this year, including 244 individuals and 94 organizations. Machado was praised as a “brave and committed champion of peace” keeping “the flame of democracy burning during a growing darkness.” The laureates receive 11 million Swedish kronor, with awards presented on December 10.
This year’s announcement comes after a week of Nobel Prize reveals in other fields, including Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Literature. The Economics laureate will be announced on October 13. The Nobel Committee’s five members assess candidates with advice from permanent and international experts, striving for consensus or, if needed, deciding by simple majority.
Nina Graeger, head of the Peace Research Institute Oslo, noted that Alfred Nobel’s will preach peace achievements, disarmament, and international cooperation—standards she argued Trump’s actions, such as withdrawing from the Paris climate accords and the WHO, fell short of.
