The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel prizes established according to Alfred Nobel's 1895 will. It is awarded annually to those who 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 congress". [1]
Since 1901, there have been a number of peace organizations nominated for the prize. The first organization to win was the Institute of International Law, founded by Gustave Moynier and Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns, in 1904. [2] The institute works in making the rules of international law, abolishing causes and motives of war and violence, and developing guidelines for peaceful relations between sovereign states. [3]
From 1901 to 1971, there have been at least 135 organizations, unions, and movements nominated for prize, 11 of which were awarded (1904, 1910, 1917, 1938, 1947, 1954, 1963, 1965, 1969, 1977, and 1995). The International Committee of the Red Cross is the most honoured organization for the prize and one of the most widely recognized organizations in the world, having won three Nobel Peace Prizes (in 1917, 1944, and 1963). [4] The third time it won, the prize was shared with the League of Red Cross Societies.
There have been 19 years in which the Peace Prize was not awarded.
Picture | Name | Founded | Years Nominated | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1901 | ||||
![]() | The Institute of International Law [lower-alpha 1] | 1873 Ghent, Belgium | 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1912, 1923, 1930, 1938, 1965, 1968 | Won the 1904 Nobel Peace Prize "for its efforts as an unofficial body to formulate the general principles of the science of international law." [5] [6] [7] |
![]() | Permanent International Peace Bureau [lower-alpha 2] | 1891 Geneva, Switzerland | 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911 [8]
| Won the 1910 Nobel Peace Prize "for acting as link between the peace societies of various countries." [9] [10] |
![]() | International Committee of the Red Cross [lower-alpha 3] | 1863 Geneva, Switzerland | 1901, 1917, 1940, [11] 1944, [12] 1945, 1949, 1963 | Won the 1917 Nobel Peace Prize "for undertaking the tremendous task of trying to protect the rights of the many prisoners of war on all sides of World War I, including their right to establish contacts with their families." [13] [14] |
Won the 1944 Nobel Peace Prize "for the great work it has performed during the war in behalf of humanity." [15] | ||||
Won the 1963 Nobel Peace Prize with the League of Red Cross Societies "for their work in the protection of human rights in the ICRC’S 100 years of existence." [16] | ||||
![]() | Societá Interregionale per la Pace, Unione Lombarda [lower-alpha 4] | Milan, Italy | 1901 | Nominated the only time by Ed.Porro. [17] |
![]() | The English Peace Society [lower-alpha 5] | 1816 London, United Kingdom | 1901, 1902, 1903, 1905, 1908, 1911, 1913, 1915, 1923, 1924 | [18] [19] [20] |
![]() | Inter-Parliamentary Union [lower-alpha 6] | 1889 Geneva, Switzerland | 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1909, [21] 1910, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1938, 1939, 1940, [22] 1947, 1950, 1951 | [23] |
1902 | ||||
![]() | The Union of French Women [lower-alpha 7] | 1909 Paris, France | 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906 | [24] |
1904 | ||||
![]() | Universal Peace Union [lower-alpha 8] | 1888 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | 1904, [25] 1906, 1908, 1910 | Nominated by B.A.Lockwood only. [26] |
1905 | ||||
![]() | International Arbitration League [lower-alpha 9] | 1870 London, United Kingdom | 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908 | [27] [28] |
![]() | The Society of Comparative Legislation [lower-alpha 10] | 1869 Paris, France | 1905, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920 | [29] |
![]() | American Peace Society [lower-alpha 11] | 1828 New York City, New York, United States | 1905, 1908, 1934 | [30] [31] |
1906 | ||||
![]() | Paris Institute of Political Studies [lower-alpha 12] | 1872 Paris, France | 1906 | Nominated the only time by Ern.Lavisse. [32] |
1908 | ||||
![]() | German Peace Society [lower-alpha 13] | 1892 Berlin, Germany | 1908, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914 | [33] |
1909 | ||||
![]() | The League in Paris for the Defense of the Abused Natives of the Congo State | Paris, France | 1909 | Nominated the only time by Hilty. [34] |
Picture | Name | Founded | Years Nominated | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1910 | ||||
![]() | Committee of Union and Progress [lower-alpha 14] | 1889 Istanbul, Turkey | 1910 | Nominated the only time by Ahm.Rıza. [35] |
1911 | ||||
![]() | South American Universal Peace Association | Buenos Aires, Argentina | 1911 | Nominated the only time by Ángela de Oliveira Cézar de Costa. [36] |
![]() | International Arbitration and Peace Association [lower-alpha 15] | 1880 London, United Kingdom | 1911, 1912 | Nominated by F.St.Moscheles only. [37] |
![]() | World's Christian Endeavor Union | 1881 Portland, Maine, United States | 1911, 1912, 1913 | [38] [39] |
1912 - Prize has been awarded a year later | ||||
![]() | Peace Committee of the Society of Friends | United States | 1912 | [40] |
Society of Friends (Quakers) [lower-alpha 16] | Mid-17th Century United Kingdom | 1923, 1924, 1926, 1947 | Won the 1947 Nobel Peace Prize (represented by the Friends Service Council [41] and American Friends Service Committee [42] ) "for their work in assisting and rescuing victims of the Nazis." [43] | |
![]() | American Friends Service Committee [lower-alpha 17] | 1917 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | 1937, 1938 | |
![]() | Friends Service Council [lower-alpha 17] | 1927 London, United Kingdom | ||
![]() | Royal Saxon Institute of Cultural and Universal History at the University of Leipzig | Leipzig, Germany | 1912 | [44] |
![]() | International Socialist Bureau [lower-alpha 18] | 1900 Paris, France | 1912, 1913, 1914 | [45] |
1913 | ||||
![]() | International Federation of 'Amies de la Jeune Fille' | 1877 Neuchâtel, Switzerland | 1913 | [46] |
![]() | The Norwegian Peace Association [lower-alpha 19] | 1885 Oslo, Norway | 1913, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918 | [47] |
![]() | Swedish Peace and Arbitration League [lower-alpha 19] | 1883 Stockholm, Sweden | 1913, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918 | [48] |
The Swedish Peace and Arbitration League and The Swedish Peace Association [lower-alpha 19] | 1916, 1917 | [49] | ||
![]() | The Danish Peace Association [lower-alpha 19] | 1882 Copenhagen, Denmark | 1913, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1920 | [50] |
![]() | League of Peace and Freedom [lower-alpha 20] | 1867 Geneva, Switzerland | 1913, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933 | [51] |
1914 - this year Prize was not awarded | ||||
![]() | The Stead Memorial Fund [lower-alpha 21] | London, United Kingdom | 1914, 1915 | [52] |
1915 - this year Prize was not awarded | ||||
![]() | The Belgian Relief Committee [lower-alpha 22] | 1914 Brussels, Belgium | 1915 | [53] |
![]() | General Savings and Retirement Fund | 1865 Brussels, Belgium | 1915 | [54] |
![]() | The Nordic Inter-Parliamentary Union [lower-alpha 23] | 1907 Copenhagen, Denmark | 1915 | [55] |
![]() | Catholic University of Louvain | 1834 Brussels, Belgium | 1915 | [56] |
![]() | Comité Ador [lower-alpha 24] | 1914 Geneva, Switzerland | 1915 | [57] |
International Prisoners of War Agency [lower-alpha 25] | 1918 | [58] | ||
![]() | The Hague Academy of International Law [lower-alpha 26] | 1914 The Hague, Netherlands | 1915, 1916, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1947, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1973 | [59] |
1916 - this year Prize was not awarded | ||||
![]() | Belgian Arbitration Society | Brussels, Belgium | 1916 | [60] |
![]() | Swiss Peace Society | Switzerland | 1916 | [61] |
![]() | International Committee of Women for Permanent Peace | 1915 Geneva, Switzerland | 1916 | [62] |
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom [lower-alpha 27] | 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 | [63] [64] | ||
![]() | Central Organization for Durable Peace [lower-alpha 28] | 1915 The Hague, Netherlands | 1916, 1918 | [65] |
![]() | International Museum of War and Peace [lower-alpha 29] | 1902 Lucerne, Switzerland | 1916, 1918 | [66] |
![]() | National Peace Council [lower-alpha 30] | 1908 London, United Kingdom | 1916, 1921, 1922 | [67] |
1917 | ||||
![]() | German Economic Association [lower-alpha 31] | 1873 Berlin, Germany | 1917 | [68] |
![]() | Dutch Anti-War Council [lower-alpha 32] | 1914 The Hague, Netherlands | 1917, 1918, 1919 | [69] |
1918 - this year Prize was not awarded | ||||
![]() | Universal Alliance of Young Men's Christian Unions [lower-alpha 33] | 1895 Geneva, Switzerland | 1918, 1919, 1920 | [70] |
![]() | The Nordic Peace Association [lower-alpha 34] | 1918, 1922 | [71] |
Picture | Name | Founded | Years Nominated | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1930 | ||||
![]() | Save the Children Fund [lower-alpha 47] | 1919 London, United Kingdom | 1930 | [92] [93] [94] [95] |
Union Internationale de Protection de l'Enfance [lower-alpha 48] | 1920 Geneva, Switzerland | 1950, 1951 | ||
![]() | International Union for Child Welfare [lower-alpha 49] | 1953 Geneva, Switzerland | 1954, 1968, 1971, 1973 | |
1931 | ||||
![]() | Permanent Court of International Justice [lower-alpha 50] | 1920 The Hague, Netherlands | 1931 | [96] |
![]() | Conférence Balkanique | 1931 | [97] | |
![]() | The Government of Finland | 1917 Helsinki, Finland | 1931 | [98] |
![]() | International Institute of Agriculture [lower-alpha 51] | 1905 Rome, Italy | 1931 | [99] |
1932 - this year Prize was not awarded | ||||
![]() | Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law | 1924 Berlin, Germany | 1932 | [100] |
![]() | The Norden Associations [lower-alpha 52] | 1919 Stockholm, Sweden | 1932, 1933 | [101] |
1933 - Prize has been awarded a year later | ||||
![]() | International Association for Social Progress | 1925 Bern, Switzerland | 1933 | [102] |
![]() | The Spanish Parliament | 1834 Madrid, Spain | 1933 | [103] |
![]() | War Resisters' International [lower-alpha 53] | 1921 Bilthoven, Netherlands | 1933 | [104] |
1934 | ||||
![]() | Disarmament Committee of the Women's International Organizations [lower-alpha 54] | 1931 Geneva, Switzerland | 1934 | [105] |
![]() | International People's College | 1921 Helsingør, Denmark | 1934 | [106] |
![]() | International Committee of Historical Sciences [lower-alpha 55] | 1926 Geneva, Switzerland | 1934, 1935, 1936 | [107] |
1936 | ||||
![]() | Nansen International Office for Refugees [lower-alpha 56] | 1930 Geneva, Switzerland | 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940 [108] | Won the 1938 Nobel Peace Prize "for having carried on the work of Fridtjof Nansen to the benefit of refugees across Europe." [109] [110] |
![]() | The High Commission for Refugees | London, United Kingdom | 1936 | [111] |
![]() | International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation | 1922 Paris, France | 1936 | [112] |
1937 | ||||
![]() | League of Red Cross Societies [lower-alpha 57] | 1919 Paris, France | 1937, 1939, 1953 | Won the 1963 Nobel Peace Prize with the International Committee of the Red Cross "for promoting the principles of the Geneva Convention and cooperation with the UN." [113] [114] |
The Red Cross Association [lower-alpha 58] | 1963 | |||
![]() | Relief Committee for Exiled Pacifists [lower-alpha 59] | 1936 Geneva, Switzerland | 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940 [115] | [116] |
1938 | ||||
![]() | Les Lieux de Genève | Geneva, Switzerland | 1938, 1939 | [117] |
Picture | Name | Founded | Years Nominated | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1940 | ||||
![]() | The Finnish Nation | 1940 | Nominated the only time by Georges-Djura Popovitch (Yugoslavia, 21.2.1892 - ?) [118] | |
![]() | Finnish Red Cross [lower-alpha 60] | May 7, 1877 Helsinki, Finland | 1940 | [119] |
![]() | Junior Red Cross [lower-alpha 60] | 1922 | 1940 | Nominated the only time by H.M.Huber and International Committee of the Red Cross [120] |
![]() | CIAMAC (Conférence Internationale des Associations des Mutilés de guerre et Anciens Combattants) | 1925 | 1940 | Nominated the only time by R.S.Cassin [121] |
![]() | Swedish Red Cross [lower-alpha 60] | 1865 Stockholm, Sweden | 1940, [122] 1944, [12] 1945 | [123] |
![]() | Norwegian Red Cross [lower-alpha 60] | September 22, 1865 Oslo, Norway | 1940, [124] 1945 | [125] |
1946 | ||||
![]() | Belgian Union for the League of Nations | 1919 Brussels, Belgium | 1946 | [126] |
1947 | ||||
![]() | Carnegie Endowment for International Peace [lower-alpha 61] | 1910 Washington, D.C., United States | 1947 | [127] |
1949 | ||||
![]() | International Labour Organization [lower-alpha 62] | 1919 Geneva, Switzerland | 1949, 1969 | Won the 1969 Nobel Peace Prize "for creating international legislation insuring certain norms for working conditions in every country." [128] [129] [130] [131] |
![]() | Count Bernadotte Memorial Fund | Kruså, Denmark | 1949 | [132] |
![]() | Cooperative For American Relief Everywhere (CARE) [lower-alpha 63] | 1945 New York City, New York, United States | 1949, 1951 | [133] |
| Grotius Society | 1915 London, United Kingdom | 1949, 1950, 1951, [134] 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955 | [135] |
![]() | Service Civil International [lower-alpha 64] | 1920 Bilthoven, Netherlands | 1949, 1950, 1957, 1958 | [136] [137] |
Picture | Name | Founded | Years Nominated | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1970 | |||||
![]() | International Institute for Strategic Studies [lower-alpha 102] | 1958 London, United Kingdom | 1970 | [198] | |
![]() | Joint Church Aid [lower-alpha 103] | 1967 New York City, United States | 1970 | [199] | |
![]() | the Shop Stewards of the Belfast Shipyards [lower-alpha 104] | Belfast, Northern Ireland | 1970 | [200] | |
![]() | International Fellowship of Reconciliation [lower-alpha 105] | 1914 Amsterdam, Netherlands | 1970 | [201] | |
![]() | American Fellowship of Reconciliation [lower-alpha 105] | United States | 1970 | [202] | |
1971 | |||||
![]() | Jugend in Bayreuth [lower-alpha 106] | Germany | 1971 | [203] | |
![]() | Centre for Cultural and Social Cooperation [lower-alpha 107] | France | 1971 | [204] | |
1972 [205] | |||||
![]() | Population Council | 1952 New York City, United States | 1972, [206] 1973 [207] | ||
1973 [205] | |||||
![]() | Ligue Internationale des Associations pour les Personnes Handicapées Mentales | Belgium | 1973 [208] | ||
![]() | Universal Postal Union | 1874 Bern, Switzerland | 1973 [209] | ||
1974 | |||||
Nominees will be revealed in 2025. |
Christian Lous Lange was a Norwegian historian, teacher, and political scientist. He was one of the world's foremost exponents of the theory and practice of internationalism.
Emily Greene Balch was an American economist, sociologist and pacifist. Balch combined an academic career at Wellesley College with a long-standing interest in social issues such as poverty, child labor, and immigration, as well as settlement work to uplift poor immigrants and reduce juvenile delinquency.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons is a global civil society coalition working to promote adherence to and full implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The campaign helped bring about this treaty. ICAN was launched in 2007. In 2022, it counted 661 partner organizations in 110 countries.
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiology or Medicine, and Literature. Since March 1901, it has been awarded annually to people who 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 Oxford Dictionary of Contemporary History describes it as "the most prestigious prize in the world."
The 2015 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet for "its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011".
The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the prime minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed "for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea." The award was announced by the Norwegian Nobel Committee on 11 October 2019.
The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the World Food Programme by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The announcement was made on Friday 9 October at 11:00 CEST.
The 2021 Nobel Peace Prize was announced by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo on 8 October 2021. Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov received the prize "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace."
The 2022 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to one individual and two organisations which advocate human rights and civil liberty. The recipients were the Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski, the Russian human rights organisation Memorial and the Ukrainian human rights organisation Center for Civil Liberties. The citation given by the Norwegian Nobel Committee were the following:
The Peace Prize laureates represent civil society in their home countries. They have for many years promoted the right to criticise power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens. They have made an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right abuses and the abuse of power. Together they demonstrate the significance of civil society for peace and democracy.
The 2023 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi "for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all." She is the second Nobel laureate from Iran after Shirin Ebadi won in 2003. As of the announcement of the prize, Mohammadi is still in prison in Iran.
The 1901 Nobel Peace Prize was the first peace prize resulting from Alfred Nobel's will to recognize in the preceding year those who "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." It was equally divided between the Swiss humanitarian Henri Dunant (1828–1910) "for his humanitarian efforts to help wounded soldiers and create international understanding" and the French pacifist Frédéric Passy (1822–1912) "for his lifelong work for international peace conferences, diplomacy and arbitration." It was the first of the many times the Nobel Peace Prize has been shared between two or more individuals.
The 1965 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the United Nations agency United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) "for its effort to enhance solidarity between nations and reduce the difference between rich and poor states." The agency became the eighth organization awarded with a Nobel Prize.
The 1973 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Communist Party of Vietnam Politburo representative Lê Đức Thọ "for jointly having negotiated a cease fire in Vietnam in 1973." Thọ declined to accept the prize, and Kissinger accepted in absentia as he did not want to be targeted by anti-war protestors at the event. Kissinger later tried to return the award, but the committee declined his offer.