Your Questions about the Nobel Peace Prize

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Question: I have found that the Nobel Committee gives the word "peace" an extremely broad and ambiguous definition. What exactly do you define a contribution to world peace as?

Answer: The Norwegian Nobel Committee always starts with Alfred Nobel's will where he states that the Peace Prize should go to the person "who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses." The problem is that these words give only limited guidance. The Norwegian Nobel Committee believes that there are many different roads to peace. That is why we have many different kinds of Peace Laureates. We believe the politicians can contribute at the international and the local level; so can the great humanitarians; so can the human rights activists; so can those who work for arms control and disarmament (a direct reference to the will). In recent years we have discovered that there are close connections between even the environment and peace, as seen so clearly today in Darfur. That is the explanation for this year's Prize to the IPCC and Al Gore.

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Question: Geir Lundestad, Secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee:
Does the Committee usually have a difficult time deciding on who to choose for the Nobel Peace Prize?

Answer: Yes, we have many good candidates every year. We also feel a strong sense of responsibility in awarding the Prize. Both these elements make it difficult to decide.

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Question: Have the criteria changed over the years? If so, why?

Answer: The criteria have changed somewhat because we have become aware of new connections. Thus, it is now generally assumed that there are close connections between human rights, democracy and peace. A similar consensus is beginning to develop on the connections between the environment and peace.

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Question: Why are there so few women? (Real, honest answers, please! No excuses!)

Answer: So far we have awarded the Peace Prize to 12 women, 83 men, and 20 organizations. We have had five women Laureates since 1990, so we are working to improve our record. As women get more political influence around the world, I am sure we shall see a growing number of female Laureates.

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Question: I come from China. I found out who won the 2007 Nobel Prize on the Internet. I want to know why a Chinese person has never won the Nobel Prize, and what is the standard of the Nobel Prize. Thank you.

Answer: Some would argue that the Dalai Lama is Chinese. In that case there is one Chinese Peace Laureate. As China's contributions to world peace increase and as democracy develops there, we shall probably see more Chinese Peace Prizes.

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Question: Would you consider Mr. M. K. Gandhi for a Nobel Peace Prize posthusmously? At least now it wouldn't displease the English.

Answer: Today it is not possible to award Nobel Prizes to a dead person. The statutes do not allow for this.

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Question: Dear Professor Geir Lundestad,
I am a student at Upland High School, CA (11th Grade), and I am curious to know why Mahatma Gandhi never won the Nobel Peace Prize. Thank you. Sincerely,
Sheba Plamthottam

Answer: There is an essay in the Peace section of Nobelprize.org that attempts to answer this very question.

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Question: I find many (most) of the choices for Nobel Peace Prize winners over the recent two decades or so have a strong political bias towards left wing liberals when very few are worthy of this award, why is this so?

Answer: There have been many conservative laureates as well, from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Kissinger, just to mention some American names. But it is true that the Prize has frequently gone to liberals who try to strengthen international cooperation. International cooperation is important for the Nobel Committee. Conservatives will sometimes emphasize national sovereignty more than they will international cooperation.

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Question: Who are the three most talked about/most popular Nobel Peace Prize winners since its creation?

Answer: I do not really know, but here are some of my guesses among more modern Laureates: Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela.

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Question: Hi! I am interested in knowing if there will be a Nobel Prize designated specifically for those who work for the protection and improvement of the environment? It is a topic that is truly global in scale and impact, thus I would think that such a prize would comply with Alfred Nobel's wishes, as stipulated in his testament. It seems rather a robbery to deny an individual or organization the opportunity to win the Nobel Peace Prize in order to recognize those working on environmental issues. Surely, both "peace" and "the environment" need not share a prize category? Thank you in advance for your time and consideration of my query. Kind regards,
Vanessa Amar

Answer: It is unlikely that new Nobel Prizes will be instituted. But some Committees are considering whether the environment can also be relevant for the existing Nobel Prizes. As you know, in 2007 the Norwegian Nobel Committee did indeed award such a Prize.

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Question: Dear Professor Lundestad, In my high school Peace studies sessions, I often refer to the history of the Nobel Peace Prize and the many recipients of that Prize. Among the questions that come to my attention include (1) If the Committee could, who might they select as most deserving and/or having the greatest impact on world peace during its history? and (2) of the many candidates submitted for consideration, who never were selected to receive the Prize, whom do they most regret having omitted? Thank you for responding to these questions. Continued success in your valuable contribution to world peace

Answer: It is impossible for me to answer your first question. I think we all consider Mahatma Gandhi as the greatest omission from the list of Peace Laureates.

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Question: I would like to know how you make a selection for the Nobel Prize winners?

Answer: The system is based on nominations. You have to be nominated for the Nobel Prizes. Based on those nominated, we draw up, first, a long short-list and, then, a second, shorter one. We spend most of the time discussing the qualifications of those on the short list. We often use international experts to write reports about these candidates, so the Norwegian Nobel Committee will have the best possible information before a decision is made.

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Question: Two questions, please, if you do not mind. Thank you.
1) Is a court judge allowed to nominate candidates for the Peace Prize? (In other words, is a judge a member of a state governmental body?)
2) Is the nominator of a Peace Prize allowed to disclose the identity of his or her nominee?

Answer: 1) Judges on some international courts have the right to make a nomination.
2) This is often done, although we try to discourage this.

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Question: Where can I find out about finalists for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize? Is there an official list of nominees available? If Nobel Peace Prize publishes no official list, will you please tell me who the other "finalists" were this year? What is the selection process for the Peace Prize? Thank you for your time,
Patrick Lee, El Cerrito, Cailfornia, USA

Answer: This list is made available to the public only after 50 years.

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Question: Dear Professor Lundestad, I am interested in how one goes about nominating a person for the Nobel Peace Prize? Thank you for your assistance,
Lane Harris

Answer: Information about the nomination procedure is available here.

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Question: Sir: Does the Committee investigate people who are nominated prior to selecting a winner or do you just select a winner based on the information sent to you by the person who nominated them?

Answer: We make our own studies of all the candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize, and rather thorough studies of the most serious candidates.

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Question: A local newscaster here (Boston, MA, USA) said that the list of nominees for the Peace Prize this year included 180 people, and included a couple of names that the newscaster then states (which I won't repeat here). Is this true? Do they have access to the nominee lists, and can individuals be identified and called "nominees"?

Answer: The Norwegian Nobel Committee gives out the number of nominations, but does not release the names of those nominated. Sometimes those who make the nomination will tell the press about the nomination.

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Question: Why do you accept nominations of people that are trying to make a totalitarian and racist government (Evo Morales - Bolivia)?

Answer: If the person has the right to make a nomination, then the nomination is automatically accepted. The element of approval comes in as we draw up the short lists and then select the Laureate. It is very easy to be nominated for the Prize, but it is very difficult to get it.

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Question: How specifically does informing the world of the possible dangers posed by climate change promote peace? Thank you.

Answer: More and more conflicts in the world will probably stem from environmental factors. There are already several "climate wars" in Africa, as in Darfur. As the ocean level increases, there will be "climate refugees" in the world. Resources will become increasingly scarce in some regions. All this will most likely lead to increased conflict in certain parts of the world, possibly even to wars.

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Question: How does Al Gore's work in any way relate to a Nobel Peace Prize? This is incomprehensible. First of all, he has only very recently been involved with the environment issues and there are many people, including many scientists, who have been working on this issue for far longer. Could you please make it more clear and especially more clear as to the relation with PEACE which is the title of the Prize. Thank you.

Answer: I have tried to answer this question in my previous answer. You are wrong on Gore. He has worked for the environment for several decades. By also giving the Prize to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) we have also honoured the scientists you refer to.

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Question: Who are the individual recipients of the reward from the IPCC? Are they the current panelists, or are they the founding fathers of the 20-year IPCC program?

Answer: We have awarded the Prize to the IPCC as such, not to specific individual members. It is up to the organization itself to decide who should receive the award on the organization's behalf.

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Question: What is the Nobel Committee's composition responsible for awarding the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize ?

Answer: The Norwegian Nobel Committee consists of five members selected by the Norwegian parliament. The current five members represent five different political parties, from the left to the right.

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Interview with Geir Lundestad from the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Announcement

Why a Norwegian Nobel Committee?

Other articles about the Nobel Peace Prize

Search in the 1901-1955 Nomination Database!