The Nobel Peace Prize 2025, considered one of the most prestigious awards in the world, has been awarded to Venezuelan pro-democracy leader Maria Corina Machado.

The head of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Jörgen Wattenfriedens, made the announcement during a prestigious ceremony in Oslo.

At the announcement, Jörgen Wattenfriedens said that Maria Corina Machado is being awarded the prize in recognition of her ongoing struggle for democracy, human freedom and political rights. He said that Machado’s movement has reawakened democratic values ​​throughout Latin America, including Venezuela.

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded annually to an individual or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to the promotion of international cooperation, the reduction of standing military forces, or the establishment and maintenance of peace. Maria Corina Machado was among thousands of activists this year who spoke out against political repression, human rights violations, and restrictions on expression.

Maria Corina Machado has previously won numerous international awards, including the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Expression.

The Nobel Prize is named after the Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite. In his will, Alfred Nobel set aside almost all of his assets to establish a fund to award the prize annually to outstanding individuals in the fields of knowledge, science, literature, and peace.