The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to María Corina Machado, the prominent Venezuelan opposition leader. On October 10, 2025, it was announced that María Corina Machado, Venezuelan politician, activist, and prominent leader of the opposition to the administrations of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2025.
The Nobel Committee honoured Machado in recognition of her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy. The Nobel Committee is hoping that Machado’s win will support her cause and not limit it.
At a moment when authoritarianism is on the rise across the world, this award highlights the courage of those who defend freedom with ballots, not bullets.
Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) director Nina Graeger
Machado’s courageous commitment to free and fair elections and accountable governance in Venezuela reflects the belief that lasting peace is built on the foundations of democracy.
Machado is the first Venezuelan national to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and the 20th woman to win since the award’s inception in 1901. In 2025, the European Union bestowed its highest human rights award on Maria Corina Machado and fellow Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia.
Dedicating the award to Trump
On the day her win was announced, Machado posted on X dedicating the prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and specifically to President Trump for his decisive support of their cause. She spoke with Trump via phone to acknowledge his support and described the win as an achievement of the whole society, stating she certainly did not deserve it alone.
This recognition of the struggle of all Venezuelans is a boost to conclude our task: to conquer Freedom.
— María Corina Machado (@MariaCorinaYA) October 10, 2025
We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic…
Although she was unable to attend the official ceremony in Oslo on December 10, 2025 due to security risks, her daughter accepted the award on her behalf. Machado arrived in Oslo later that night to a hero’s welcome.
Venezuela announced plans to shutter its embassy in Norway, mere days after opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was named the Nobel Peace Prize winner in Oslo.
Reactions
At a moment when authoritarianism is on the rise across the world, this award highlights the courage of those who defend freedom with ballots, not bullets. Machado’s courageous commitment to free and fair elections and accountable governance in Venezuela reflects the belief that lasting peace is built on the foundations of democracy, said Peace Research Institute Oslo director Nina Graeger.
The UN Human Rights Office noted that the Nobel award embodies Venezuelans’ deep yearning for democratic elections, safeguards on civil and political freedoms, and the rule of law. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen praised Maria Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize as a tribute not just to her bravery but to all voices resisting suppression.
A US White House spokesperson faulted the Nobel Committee for bypassing President Donald Trump despite his vocal pursuit of the honor, opting for politics over peace.
2025 nominees
While the official list of the 338 candidates, including 244 individuals and 94 organisations, remains sealed for 50 years per Nobel statutes, several prominent names were publicly disclosed by their nominators or highlighted by experts as top contenders.
Donald Trump was nominated multiple times, notably by US Congressman Buddy Carter for brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, and by leaders from Israel, Cambodia, and Pakistan. Elon Musk was nominated by Slovenian MP Branko Grims for his advocacy of free speech as a fundamental human right.
The former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was nominated for his work on human rights and democracy in Pakistan. Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Alexei Navalny, was considered a frontrunner by bookmakers and experts for her continued opposition to the Kremlin.
Pope Francis was nominated for his unstoppable contribution to global peace and fraternisation. Hong Kong activist Chow Hang-tung, who is jailed, was nominated for her unwavering commitment to democracy.
Background on María Corina Machado
Maria Corina Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is a 58-year-old Venezuelan opposition leader born on October 7, 1967, in Caracas. An industrial engineer by training with roots in the steel industry via her prominent businessman father, she has faced criticism from Venezuela’s socialist government for her upper-class background.
She pushes liberal reforms like privatizing state firms such as oil giant PDVSA, alongside welfare for the poor. Machado brands Maduro’s regime a criminal mafia and remains isolated, with most top aides detained or exiled.
Machado dominated the opposition primary in 2023, drawing massive crowds to her rallies, but a ban barred her from the 2024 presidential race against Nicolás Maduro, forcing her into hiding. She briefly surfaced at a protest before Maduro’s January inauguration, where she was arrested and released. Venezuela’s authorities claim Maduro won, without releasing full vote tallies.
After living in hiding in Venezuela for over a year, Machado successfully escaped the country in December 2025 via a high-stakes mission involving speedboats and private jets.
Why it matters
María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize represents international recognition of the Venezuelan opposition’s decades-long struggle against authoritarianism and for democratic restoration. As the first Venezuelan to win the award, her victory highlights the global concern over Maduro’s regime and the humanitarian crisis facing millions of Venezuelans.
The award comes at a critical moment when Machado has just escaped the country after living in hiding, and her inability to attend the ceremony due to security risks underscores the dangers faced by opposition leaders in Venezuela. With Venezuela closing its embassy in Norway in response to the award, the prize has intensified diplomatic tensions while galvanizing international support for democratic change in Venezuela.
