How does the Nobel Peace Prize laureate system work and what can laureates do?

Numbers match the citations in the article. A working link isn't proof that a page supports a claim; check the quoted passage and date.

1. 1

   Nobel Peace Prize (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaPublished Oct 10, 2026Checked Oct 11, 2026

   “The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five original Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiology or Medicine, and Literature. Since March 1901, it has been awarded annually (with some exceptions) to people who have "done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses". The Oxford Dictionary of Contemporary History describes it as "the most prestigious prize in the world". In accordance with Nobel's will, the prize is selected by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, a five-member committee appointed by the Parliament of Norway unlike all the other awards chosen by the Swedish Nobel Committee. The prize award ceremony has been held in Oslo City Hall since 1990, previously in the assembly hall of the University of Oslo (1947–1989), Norwegian Nobel Institute (1905–1946), and the Parliament (1901–1904). Due to its political nature, the Nobel Peace Prize has for most of its history been subject to numerous controversies.”

2. 2

   2026 Nobel Peace Prize (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaPublished Oct 10, 2026Checked Oct 11, 2026

   “The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize is to be awarded to South African jurist Navi Pillay. This international peace prize was established according to Alfred Nobel's will that was announced on 9 October 2026 by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo, Norway, and will be awarded on 10 December 2026.”

3. 3

   Alfred Nobel and His Prizes: From Dynamite to DNA.

   Rambam Maimonides medical journal (Lichtman)Published Jul 1, 2017Checked Oct 11, 2026

   “The prizes were first awarded in 1901, five years after his death. In considering his choice of prizes, it may be pertinent that he used the principles of chemistry and physics in his inventions and he had a lifelong devotion to science, he suffered and died from severe coronary and cerebral atherosclerosis, and he was a bibliophile, an author, and mingled with the literati of Paris. His interest in harmony among nations may have derived from the effects of the applications of his inventions in warfare ("merchant of death") and his friendship with a leader in the movement to bring peace to nations of Europe. After some controversy, including Nobel's citizenship, the mechanisms to choose the laureates and make four of the awards were developed by a foundation established in Stockholm; the choice of the laureate for promoting harmony among nations was assigned to the Norwegian Storting, another controversy. The Nobel Prizes after 115 years remain the most prestigious of awards. This review describes the man, his foundation, and the prizes with a special commentary on the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.”

4. 4

   Controversies in Selecting Nobel Laureates: An Historical Commentary.

   Rambam Maimonides medical journal (Lichtman)Published Jul 31, 2022Checked Oct 11, 2026

   “A few were errors of omission (e.g. Tolstoy, Tesla, Edison, Best, Gandhi, Franklin), some errors of commission (e.g. Fibiger, Moniz); but, given the complexity of the task, the error rate is small. In some cases, the conclusion that an error had been made is debatable. Such decisions are difficult. Arne Tiselius, a Nobel laureate in chemistry and President of the Nobel Foundation said that one cannot in practice apply the principle that the Nobel Prize should be given to the person who is best; it is impossible to define who is best. Hence, there is only one alternative: to try to find a particularly worthy candidate. This paper includes a brief review of the integration of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, established in 1968, and added to the original five Nobel Prizes; the prize was first awarded in 1969. A short discussion on the absence of a Nobel Prize in mathematics is provided. Adaptations to the development of "big" science, especially in physics, may require the Nobel Foundation to extend its limit of no more than three awardees for the prize in physics and, perhaps, other scientific disciplines.”

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   How the Nobel Committee for Chemistry Has Shaped the Nobel Prize: Historical Trends Based on the Nobel Prize Nomination Archive.

   ACS omega (Seeman et al.)Published May 13, 2025Checked Oct 11, 2026

   “The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is governed by the Nobel Foundation's rules and managed by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences via its Nobel Committee for Chemistry. Despite 125 years of awarding these prizes and increased transparency from the Nobel Foundation, many aspects of the selection process remain obscure. Our analysis of the Nobel Prize Nomination Archive from 1901 to 1970 reveals that the decisions were heavily influenced by the personal and professional biases of the members of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, who were not only responsible for inviting and assessing nominations but also for presenting recommendations to the Academy. Nobel laureates also significantly influenced the process due to their right to make ongoing nominations. The study suggests ways to improve the nomination and selection process to better reflect the evolving nature of chemistry in the 21st century.”