The Nobel Foundation once again reiterated that Nobel Prizes cannot be passed on or further distributed, days after the Institute issued a statement saying that a laureate cannot share the prize with others, nor transfer it once it has been announced.
On Sunday, in a post on X, it said that one of the core missions of the Nobel Foundation is to safeguard the dignity of the Nobel Prizes and their administration.The post noted, “The Foundation upholds Alfred Nobel’s will and its stipulations. 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. A prize can therefore not, even symbolically, be passed on or further distributed.”
This comes after US President Donald Trump met Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado on Thursday and said that she had presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump at the White House, describing the gesture as recognition for his support for Venezuelan freedom and democratic efforts.
Speaking to reporters following her meeting with Trump, Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her role in championing democratic rights and a peaceful transition in Venezuela, said that she gave the medal as a symbol of appreciation for his “unique commitment to our freedom”.
“I presented the President of the United States the medal…the Nobel Peace Prize, and I told him this: 200 years ago, General Lafayette gave Simon Bolivar a medal with George Washington’s face on it. Bolivar, since then, kept that medal for the rest of his life. It was given as a symbol of brotherhood to showcase the relation between the people of the US and Venezuela,” Machado said.
“Two hundred years in history, the people of Bolivar are giving back to the heir of Washington a medal, in this case the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize, as a recognition for his unique commitment to our freedom,” she added.President Trump also acknowledged Machado’s gesture, calling it “a wonderful gesture of mutual respect” in a post on Truth Social and thanked her for the medal.
“It was my Great Honor to meet Maria Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today. She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. Maria presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you, Maria!” the post read.The White House, in a post on X, also confirmed that Trump had accepted the Nobel Peace Prize medal.
“President Donald J. Trump meets with Maria Corina Machado of Venezuela in the Oval Office, during which she presented the President with her Nobel Peace Prize in recognition and honor,” the White House said in its post.
Earlier on January 16, the official website for the Nobel Prize said, “A laureate cannot share the prize with others, nor transfer it once it has been announced. A Nobel Peace Prize can also never be revoked. The decision is final and applies for all time. The Norwegian Nobel Committee does not see it as their role to engage in day-to-day commentary on Peace Prize laureates or the political processes that they are engaged in. The prize is awarded on the basis of the laureate’ contributions by the time that the committee’s decision is taken.”
