Nobel committee clarifies peace prize rules after María Machado gifts medal to Trump

WASHINGTON, DC: The Nobel Peace Center on Thursday, January 15, took to X to post a statement that seemed directly targeted at Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado and President Donald Trump. 

Peace Prize winner Machado has recently offered her medal to Trump, reportedly to win his support for her to take a leadership role in Venezuela after Nicolás Maduro’s capture.

On the heels of this development, the Nobel Peace Center issued a pointed message this week. 

It reminded the public that once a Nobel Peace Prize is awarded, it can never be revoked, shared or transferred.

Nobel Committee issues a clarification 

The Nobel Peace Center wrote a post on social media platform X that was widely interpreted as speaking in reference to the current events.

The statement by the committee, ostensibly about the 120-year history of the medal, explicitly mentioned that the prize remains non-transferable.

“Did you know that some Nobel Peace Prize medals have been passed on after the award was given?” part of the caption read.

A medal can change owners, but the title cannot 

The post mentioned Dmitry Muratov, a Russian journalist who won the award for co-founding a pro-democracy newspaper. He had auctioned off his medal for over $100 million to support refugees from the war in Ukraine. 

The post also mentioned Christian Lous Lange, Norway’s first Nobel Peace Prize winner, who loaned his medal to be displayed at the Nobel Peace Center.

Along with a photo of the medal bearing Alfred Nobel’s portrait and a symbol of brotherhood on the reverse, the post noted this was a “design unchanged for 120 years.”

“A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot,” it concluded.

Machado offered her prize to Trump

On January 15, Machado, fresh off her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize win for pushing Venezuela toward democracy and standing up to Maduro, handed her medal to Trump at a White House event.

She called it a thank you, a way to show her appreciation for Trump’s support of Venezuelan freedom and for the military pressure that finally brought Maduro down.

The Latin American leader has effusively praised Trump in the past and even said she would “certainly love” to “personally” give her prize to Trump.

After the White House meeting, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, “It was my Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today,”.

“She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you Maria!”

Machado told her supporters, “We can count on President Trump,” and confirmed that she had presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize medal as recognition for his commitment to Venezuela’s freedom.