During a visit to the White House on Thursday, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gifted her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump, “as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”
Now the Nobel Prize board has reacted in a panic, releasing a statement on Sunday to make sure everyone knows that even though Machado gave Trump her medal, he has NOT been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Nobel Foundation declared, “One of the core missions of the Nobel Foundation is to safeguard the dignity of the Nobel Prizes and their administration. 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.”
In a press release, the Nobel organization wrote:
A Nobel Peace Prize laureate receives two central symbols of the prize: a gold medal and a diploma. In addition, the prize money is awarded separately. Regardless of what may happen to the medal, the diploma, or the prize money, it is and remains the original laureate who is recorded in history as the recipient of the prize. Even if the medal or diploma later comes into someone else’s possession, this does not alter who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
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.
The Committee does not comment on laureates’ subsequent statements, decisions, or actions. Any ongoing assessments or choices made by laureates must be understood as their own responsibility.
There are no restrictions in the statutes of the Nobel Foundation on what a laureate may do with the medal, the diploma, or the prize money. This means that a laureate is free to keep, give away, sell, or donate these items.
Statement from the Nobel Foundation
One of the core missions of the Nobel Foundation is to safeguard the dignity of the Nobel Prizes and their administration. The Foundation upholds Alfred Nobel’s will and its stipulations. It states that the prizes shall be awarded to those who… pic.twitter.com/WIadOBLtpD
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) January 18, 2026
Machado, 58, was awarded the Nobel Peace Price in October, as a tribute to her efforts to “lead the struggle for democracy in the face of ever-expanding authoritarianism in Venezuela.”
However, in her acceptance statement, she dedicated the award to President Trump, who has been repeatedly snubbed by the Nobel board.
President Donald J. Trump meets with María Corina Machado of Venezuela in the Oval Office, during which she presented the President with her Nobel Peace Prize in recognition and honor.🕊️ pic.twitter.com/v7pYHjVNVO
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 16, 2026
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