After much anticipation, the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize has been named as Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado.
The announcement ends the immediate dream of a far more high-profile nominee: US President Donald Trump.
But for this year at least, the Norwegian Nobel Committee went for someone different: A woman and someone fighting from the outside.
Not only that, but a leader who has actively worked to unite once divided forces across the opposition, in a bid to pursue a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy in Venezuela.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee made the announcement in Oslo on Friday night (Australia time), awarding Machado for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights of people of Venezuela.”
“She has brought her country’s opposition together. She has never wavered in resisting the militarisation of Venezuelan society. She has been steadfast in her support for a peaceful transition to democracy,” the Committee said on commending Machado’s work.
The Committee noted that democracy is a precondition for lasting peace, but we right now live in a world where democracy is in retreat and more authoritarian regimes are challenging norms and resorting to violence.
It described the current Venezuelan regime as holding rigid power and repressing its population in a way that is far from unique. The committee called out how the rule of law is abused by those in control, free media is silenced, critics are imprisoned, and societies are pushed toward authoritarian rule and militarisation.
Machado has faced threats, arrests and persecution in defying the repressive regime of Nicolas Maduro, and forced into hiding in the past year while still courageously remaining in her country. She was instrumental in mobilising volunteers across different political groups and divides during Venezuela’s 2024 election. And when her own candidacy was barred, she worked to support opposition representative Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, and oversaw citizen-led initiatives to manage election integrity.
Machado is just the 20th woman, out of 143 laureates, to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
While the committee applauded Machado’s successful coalition in the face of authoritarianism in Venezuela, it’s hard to miss parallels between Venezuela and what’s occurring in what was once the most celebrated democracy on Earth.
Nor is it difficult to miss the decision to celebrate Machado’s leadership in building a peaceful power base through unification, even in the face of much pressure to select someone else.
The narrative that Donald Trump was snubbed for this award is already building. But the story of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize should be about something much bigger: a woman who stood up against a dictatorship, uniting those who once disagreed to find common ground in demanding free elections and representative government.