Winner of Nobel Peace Prize to be announced in Oslo

Navi Pillay, a former UN human rights commissioner, wins the Nobel Peace Prize 2026

Pillay is recognised for her "efforts to promote peace and international law", the Norwegian Nobel Committee says

Announcing the winner, Jørgen Watne Frydnes says he hasn't been able to get hold of Pillay. Laughing, he adds: "My message to her would be, 'If you see a Norwegian number calling, please pick up. I would love to talk to you very soon'"

Originally from Durban in South Africa, Pillay was president of the international tribunal on Rwanda's genocide between the late 1990s and early 2000s

More recently, she was part of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, created by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021

This is the 126th year of the Nobel Peace Prize – a host of people have won the prestigious award over the years, including Mother Theresa, Malala Yousafzai and Barack Obama

Last year's winner, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, ultimately gave her medal to US President Donald Trump in January – here's why

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Navanethem "Navi" Pillay became the first woman to start a law practice in South Africa's Natal Province back in 1967.

A bus driver's daughter from a poor Indian section of Durban in South Africa, Navi grew up and began her human rights work during the apartheid era and became the first non-white woman to establish her own law practice and to be appointed as a High Court Judge in South Africa.

After defending many opponents of apartheid, Pillay was elected as judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda by the UN General Assembly.

She served on the tribunal for eight years, including four years as president.

Until recently, Pillay chaired the the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and is currently a judge on the International Court of Justice in the case where Myanmar stands accused of genocide.

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Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing Frydnes says the committee hasn't actually been able to get hold of this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner Navi Pillay.

"So my message to her would be 'if you see a Norwegian number calling, please pick up'", he laughs, saying "I would love to talk to you very soon".

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing Continuing his speech announcing the winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, Frydnes says Pillay has held states and leaders accountable, and brought hope to victims.

He says she has stressed the responsibility of individuals and states to comply with the rule of law.

During the speech, he takes a moment to say the system of international law is under tremendous pressure, adding we are seeing a shift too what he calls "power politics".

"When might overtakes right," he says, "it undermines stability".

Her commitment to justice and human dignity is a source of hope and inspiration to all those who seek to bring about a more peaceful world, he concludes.

The announcement in Oslo has just come to an end – stay with us for the latest.

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing Navi Pillay has "significantly enlarged the scope and impact of international law," Jørgen Watne Frydnes says.

As he announces this year's winner, he adds Pillay has led the way to "a more comprehensive global legal order," saying she did so with exceptional courage.

The chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee goes on to praise her long career, saying she started off as a lawyer in South Africa confronting deep discrimination.

He says she has a "firm moral compass".

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing Image source, Getty ImagesNavanethem "Navi" Pillay has been announced as the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2026.

She has won for her efforts to promote peace and international law, Jørgen Watne Frydnes says.

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing The winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize is about to be announced in Oslo, Norway.

We expect the news to come at about 10:00 BST, (11:00 local time) – you can watch live at the top of this page.

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Chemist Marie Curie in her lab, circa 1905 – she shared the award with Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel for their work developing the theory of "radioactivity"

Over the years, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 106 times to 143 laureates, including four US presidents – Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.

Malala Yousafzai made history as the youngest ever recipient – earning the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize at just 17 years old.

In 1973, Vietnamese politician Le Duc Tho won the prize "for jointly having negotiated a cease fire in Vietnam in 1973" – but he declined to accept it on the grounds that the truce had been violated.

The award has been won by 112 individuals and 31 organisations, including Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr and Mother Theresa.

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Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing "The final preparations are now in order," The Nobel Prize account writes in a post on X.

As a reminder, the winner will be announced at 10:00 BST (11:00 local time) and you'll be able to watch live above.

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingBernd Debusmann JrWhite House reporter

For US president Donald Trump, winning a Nobel Peace has long been something of an unfulfilled dream – one that he has yet to achieve.

His fixation with the prize began long before he first came to the White House, to the Obama administration.

Trump was ferociously critical of Barack Obama winning the prize early in his term in 2009, repeatedly referring to it as undeserved and "for nothing".

Trump’s interest in winning his own Nobel prize became more public about halfway through his first term. Following his highly publicised meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Trump said that "everyone thinks" he deserved the prize.

Matters reached a fever pitch after his return to the White House. Trump often says he has ended "eight" wars – which is widely disputed – and that that fact alone should earn the prize. While he campaigned heavily for it last year, it ultimately went to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump seemed to make a last minute push for the prize.

"I don’t know what their decision’s going to be. They have a reputation for maybe not giving it to people like me," he said. "But whether I get it or not, I have done far more, and I think it would be a great discredit to them."

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Trump tells reporters why he should win Nobel Prize

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Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for her "tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela".

She had been forced into hiding due to her opposition to then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was then captured by the US in a raid on his Caracas safehouse at the start of 2026.

On 15 January, Machado presented her prize to US President Donald Trump on a visit to the White House as "recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom".

The following day, The Norwegian Nobel Committee released a statement that said "regardless of what may happen to the medal" it is "the original laureate who is recorded in history as the recipient of the prize".

"Even if the medal or diploma later comes into someone else’s possession, this does not alter who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize."

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing Image source, Nobel Prize OutreachImage caption, Last year's peace prize winner María Machado pictured holding her medal and diploma

The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize receives a gold medal, a diploma and prize money.

The prize money is generated from Alfred Nobel's estate – worth about £166m in today's money at the time of his death – which he instructed to be put into "safe" investments.

For 2026, the prize money for the award is set at 12 million Swedish krona (about £900k or $1.2m).

The medal is made from 18 carat gold, weighs 175g and features a portrait of Alfred Nobel.

The diploma, described by Nobel Institute as a "unique work of art", lists the recipient and award alongside a piece of artwork.

Last year's winner María Corina Machado handed her 18 carat gold medal to US President Donald Trump – we'll bring you more on that in our next post.

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing Image source, Getty ImagesThe prize

The Nobel Peace Prize was created in the early 20th Century and is one of the highest achievable honours.

Created by Alfred Nobel, the awards categories reflect his interest in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Peace and Economic Sciences.

Previous winners of the Nobel Peace Prize include former US President Barack Obama, Malala Yousafzai and Nelson Mandela.

To be considered for a Nobel Prize you have to be put forward by a "qualified nominator", which includes previous winners, cabinet ministers of national governments, university professors and members of the International Court of Justice.

This year, a total of 287 candidates have been nominated – 208 individuals and 79 organisations – but the Norwegian Nobel Committee does not share the names of those put forward.

The five-member committee whittles down hundreds of nominations into a shortlist, which are then considered by the Nobel Institute’s permanent advisers.

The committee will then discuss the candidates, and the advisers' reports, and decide on a winner – which we'll find out this morning.

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingJack GreyLive reporter

Later this morning we will find out who has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.

The nominees are kept under wraps, but the Norwegian Nobel Committee says that more than 200 individuals or organisations have been put forward for consideration.

Last year, Venezuelan opposition leader María Machado became the latest recipient of the prestigious award.

Machado handed her prize to Donald Trump in January after the US captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said that despite Trump being given the medal Machado is "recorded in history as the recipient of the prize".

The US president has said this week that the committee "have a reputation for maybe not giving it to people like me".

The 2026 Nobel Prizes for medicine, physics and chemistry have already been handed out this week, and Canadian poet Anne Carson won the Nobel Literature Prize on Thursday.

We're expecting the announcement at 10:00 BST (11:00 local time) – you can watch it live right here on this page.