Outside the Beltway

About Nobel Prize Nominations…

...they aren't that hard to get.

Steven L. Taylor · Saturday, June 28, 2025 · 9 comments

I can’t remember if it was a formal job application I was reviewing or if it was just some random c.v. I had been sent, but I was astonished to see “Nobel Peace Prize Nominee” listed on an otherwise unimpressive resume of a person I had never heard of before. This led to a colleague pointing out to me how easy it is to get nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Here are the persons who are able to make nominations, from the Nobel Prize Organization’s site.

According to the statutes of the Nobel Foundation, a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize is considered valid if it is submitted by a person who falls within one of the following categories, a personal application for an award will not be considered:

1. Members of national assemblies and national governments (cabinet members/ministers) of sovereign states as well as current heads of state
2. Members of The International Court of Justice in The Hague and The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague
3. Members of l’Institut de Droit International
4. Members of the International Board of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
5. University professors, professors emeriti and associate professors of history, social sciences, law, philosophy, theology, and religion; university rectors and university directors (or their equivalents); directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes
6. Persons who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
7. Members of the main board of directors or its equivalent of organizations that have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
8. Current and former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee (proposals by current members of the Committee to be submitted no later than at the first meeting of the Committee after 1 February)
9. Former advisers to the Norwegian Nobel Committee

I would note this makes thousands upon thousands who can make nominations, many of whom are politicians.

I highlight #5 because it means that both James Joyner and I are empowered to make nominations. Alas, self-nominations are not accepted! Perhaps next year, James and I can nominate each other for our contributions to world peace via blogging!

Of course, the proximate reason for noting this was this headline from Fox News, Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize over Iran-Israel ceasefire deal, as well as Trump’s obvious thirstiness on the subject.