The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize had 338 total nominations this year; 244 individuals and 94 organizations. That’s a rise from 286 nominations in 2024, though still short of the 2016 record of 376.
Image Source: Nobel Prize
The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Venezuelan politician and opposition leader María Corina Machado Parisca. Known for her fearless stand against authoritarian rule in Venezuela, Machado has spent more than two decades advocating for democracy in her troubled nation.
Her selection marks a historic moment both for Venezuela, where political repression and economic collapse have dominated recent decades, and for Latin America as a whole, where the struggle for democracy continues to face strong challenges.
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The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised Machado’s “tireless fight for peace in Venezuela and her dedication to democratic principles despite personal risks.”
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María Corina Machado, born in 1967, is a trained industrial engineer and one of Venezuela’s most outspoken political figures. She began her political journey as a critic of the late President Hugo Chávez and his socialist government, which she accused of destroying Venezuela’s economy and silencing dissent.
From 2011 to 2014, she served as an elected member of the National Assembly of Venezuela. She then emerged as a leading voice of resistance.
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Maria Corina Machado honoured with the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her relentless dedication to democracy and human rights in Venezuela, advocating for a peaceful transition from dictatorship.#BreakingNews #MariaCorinaMachado #NobelPeacePrize… pic.x.com/pYlAblrljB
— The Statesman (@TheStatesmanLtd) October 10, 2025
In one memorable moment in 2012, Machado directly challenged President Chávez during his State of the Nation speech, accusing him of stealing private property through forced nationalizations.
Machado’s work has received international attention for years. In 2015, she received the Cádiz Cortes Ibero-American Freedom Prize for her defense of human rights and democracy. In 2018, she was named one of the BBC’s 100 Most Influential Women, recognizing her leadership in one of the world’s most difficult political environments.
And in 2019, the global liberal movement Liberal International awarded her the Prize for Freedom, praising her as a symbol of moral courage.
The recognition continued. In 2024, she received the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize from the Council of Europe, joining an elite group of human rights defenders who have risked their lives for justice. That same year, she and Edmundo González shared the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, the European Union’s top human rights award.
Machado’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize began in August 2024, when the Inspira América Foundation, together with the rectors of four Latin American universities, formally proposed her name.
Their nomination letter called her “a tireless fighter for peace in Venezuela and the world” and said she deserved “a fair recognition for dedicating her entire life to the liberation of her country.”
A few days later, several U.S. lawmakers from Florida, including Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, as well as Representatives María Elvira Salazar and Mario Díaz-Balart, wrote to the Nobel Committee in her support.
They praised Machado’s “courageous and selfless leadership” and her “unyielding dedication to peace and democratic ideals.” Their letter noted that she has “mobilized both domestic and international support for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing electoral crisis” and that she “embodies the very principles the Nobel Peace Prize seeks to honor.”
The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize had 338 total nominations this year; 244 individuals and 94 organizations. That’s a rise from 286 nominations in 2024, though still short of the 2016 record of 376.
Among the many names discussed were US President Donald Trump, Pope Francis, Elon Musk, Imran Khan, and Anwar Ibrahim. Each of them had supporters arguing that their work contributed to peace or human rights in different ways.
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