Nobel Institute nixes Machado’s idea of transferring her award to Trump
PALM BEACH: The Norwegian Nobel Institute said on Friday the Nobel Peace Prize cannot be transferred, shared, or revoked, following remarks by Venezuelan opposition leader Mara Corina Machado suggesting she might give her award to US President Donald Trump.
In a statement, the institute said the decision to award a Nobel Prize is final and permanent, citing the statutes of the Nobel Foundation, which do not allow appeals. The organisation also noted that committees awarding the prizes do not comment on the actions or statements of laureates after receiving awards.
Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared or transferred to others, the Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Nobel Institute said. The decision is final and stands for all time.
On Monday, Machado, speaking on Fox News, said that presenting the prize to Trump would be an “act of gratitude” from the Venezuelan people for the removal of Nicols Maduro.
Did you at any point offer to give him the Nobel
Peace Prize? Hannity asked. Did that actually happen? She replied: “Well, it hasn’t happened yet.”
Trump, who has long expressed interest in winning the prize and has at times linked it to diplomatic achievements, said he would be honoured to accept the prize if offered by Machado during a planned meeting in Washington next week.
Machado, a former National Assembly member, was barred from running in Venezuela’s 2024 general election by authorities aligned with Maduro.
Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2026