Nobel Foundation Rejects Symbolic Transfer of Peace Prize After Machado Gesture Toward Trump

The Nobel Foundation said Nobel Prizes cannot be passed on to others, even symbolically, after Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she had given her peace prize to President Trump.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

The Nobel Foundation said Sunday that the Nobel Peace Prize cannot be transferred or shared, even symbolically, after Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she had given her prize to President Donald Trump during a visit to the White House last week.

In a statement posted on social media, the Nobel Foundation emphasized that its rules strictly prohibit any form of reassignment or symbolic handover of Nobel Prizes once they have been awarded.

“One of the core missions of the Nobel Foundation is to safeguard the dignity of the Nobel Prizes and their administration,” the foundation wrote. “The Foundation upholds Alfred Nobel’s will and its stipulations.”

The foundation said Nobel’s will clearly defines both the purpose of the prizes and the authority responsible for awarding them.

“It states that the prizes shall be awarded to those who ‘have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind,’ and it specifies who has the right to award each respective prize,” the statement said. “A prize can therefore not, even symbolically, be passed on or further distributed.”

Machado, a prominent figure in Venezuela’s opposition movement, had publicly said she gave her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump during a White House appearance on Thursday, a gesture that drew international attention and prompted questions about the symbolic status of Nobel awards.

The Nobel Foundation’s response sought to clarify that while recipients may express personal views or make symbolic gestures, the prize itself remains formally and exclusively tied to the individual or organization named by the Nobel Committee.

The foundation did not comment further on the White House event or on Machado’s broader political message, limiting its statement to reaffirming the rules governing Nobel Prizes and their administration.