2026 Nobel Peace Prize to Be Announced Friday 287 Individuals and Organizations in Contention for

2026 Nobel Peace Prize to Be Announced Friday

287 Individuals and Organizations in Contention for the World’s Most Prestigious Peace Honor

Times Square Global Live | New York

The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced Friday, October 9, in Oslo, Norway, as wars and humanitarian crises continue across Ukraine, the Middle East, Sudan, Yemen and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This year’s choice is expected to carry significance beyond the award itself, potentially signaling how the Norwegian Nobel Committee views the defense of peace, human rights, international law and multilateral cooperation at a time of profound global instability.

The announcement will take place at the Norwegian Nobel Institute at 11 a.m. Central European Summer Time—5 a.m. Friday in New York. Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, will announce the laureate.

287 Candidates Under Consideration

The Norwegian Nobel Institute registered 287 candidates for the 2026 Peace Prize:

208 individuals;
79 organizations.

The complete list is not publicly available. Under Nobel rules, nominations, assessments and other records relating to the selection process remain confidential for 50 years.

Qualified nominators may publicly identify the candidates they submitted. As a result, some names reported by the media originate from nominators or outside experts—not from confirmation by the Nobel Committee.

Nominations closed on January 31. The five-member committee subsequently developed a shortlist, with permanent advisers and other experts examining the work and qualifications of each shortlisted candidate.

The committee seeks to reach its decision by consensus. If consensus cannot be achieved, the laureate is selected by majority vote.

Who Could Win?

International media outlets and peace researchers have identified several possible contenders, but none has been officially confirmed by the Nobel Committee.

Among those discussed are:

* Pope Leo;
* The International Criminal Court;
* The International Court of Justice;
* Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories;
* Sudan’s Emergency Response Rooms;
* Save the Children;
* The International Space Station.

The International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice represent the role of international law in addressing war crimes, state responsibility and disputes among nations.

Sudan’s Emergency Response Rooms are a grassroots network of community groups delivering food, medical care and emergency assistance to civilians amid the country’s devastating civil war.

The International Space Station has emerged as a less conventional possibility. Supporters view it as a rare symbol of sustained cooperation among the United States, Russia, Europe and other nations, even during periods of serious geopolitical confrontation.

Trump Again Says He Deserves the Prize

U.S. President Donald Trump said again on October 7 that he believes he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, while expressing doubt that the Norwegian Nobel Committee will select him.

The leaders of Cambodia, Israel and Pakistan have publicly said they nominated Trump, although those nominations cannot be independently verified because of the committee’s confidentiality rules.

Trump has claimed credit for helping to end eight wars. Some of the conflicts he cites, however, have not produced formal peace agreements, while violence has resumed in several regions.

The continuing U.S. conflict with Iran has also led several experts to assess Trump’s chances of winning this year as low.

The Prize Is About More Than Ending a War

The Nobel Peace Prize is decided by five members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, who are appointed by Norway’s Parliament. Its political composition broadly reflects the balance of parties represented in the legislature.

Under Alfred Nobel’s 1895 will, the Peace Prize should honor the person or organization that has done the most or best work to advance fraternity among nations, reduce standing armies and promote peace initiatives.

In practice, the committee also considers the international environment surrounding each year’s award. It may recognize a specific peace process, an institution defending international law, a humanitarian network, a human-rights advocate or a new model of international cooperation.

Kristian Berg Harpviken, secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the committee is closely watching the transformation of the international order and those developing new institutions, initiatives and forms of cooperation consistent with Nobel’s vision.

Harpviken, who prepares material for the committee and participates in its deliberations but does not vote, said he was not worried about the relevance of the Peace Prize—but was worried about where the world was heading.

What Will the Laureate Receive?

The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize laureate will receive:

* A Nobel gold medal;
* A diploma;
* 12 million Swedish kronor, approximately $1.2 million;
* Immediate international recognition for the cause represented by the award.

The award ceremony will take place at Oslo City Hall on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.

A Choice That Speaks to the State of the World

The Peace Prize will be announced while multiple conflicts remain unresolved.

The war in Ukraine continues. Gaza’s ceasefire and reconstruction process remain stalled. U.S.-Iran peace efforts have not produced a breakthrough. Humanitarian emergencies are worsening in Sudan and Yemen, while peace initiatives in eastern Congo remain fragile.

Whether the committee selects an individual, an international court, a humanitarian organization or a symbol of cross-border cooperation, its decision will inevitably be interpreted as a message about the kind of peacebuilding the world most urgently needs.

The announcement will therefore address a question extending far beyond the identity of the winner:

In an era of war, geopolitical division and weakening international institutions, what kind of force for peace should the world protect and strengthen?

**Sources: The Norwegian Nobel Committee, the official Nobel Prize website and Reuters**
**Times Square Global Live**