Nobel Peace Prize 1961

Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/1

The Nobel Peace Prize 1961 was awarded to Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld "for developing the UN into an effective and constructive international organization, capable of giving life to the principles and aims expressed in the UN Charter"

Dag Hammarskjöld was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize posthumously. From 1974, the Statutes of the Nobel Foundation stipulate that a Nobel Prize cannot be awarded posthumously.

To cite this section
MLA style: The Nobel Peace Prize 1961. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach 2025. Fri. 5 Dec 2025. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1961/summary/>

Go to the top of the page

Nobel Prizes and laureates

Nobel Prizes 2025

Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 14 laureates' work and discoveries range from quantum tunnelling to promoting democratic rights.

See them all presented here.

Illustration

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.