Nobel Foundation rebukes Trump: Laureate remains unchanged even if medal changes hands

The Nobel Peace Prize remains inseparably linked to the individual or organisation designated as the laureate, regardless of what happens to the medal, diploma, or prize money, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said on January 16.

A Nobel Peace Prize laureate receives a gold medal and a diploma as physical symbols of the award, while the prize money is granted separately. The Committee said that even if the medal or diploma later comes into someone else’s possession, this does not alter who was awarded

the prize, and the original laureate remains the recipient recorded in history.

The Committee reiterated that a Nobel Peace Prize cannot be shared, transferred, or revoked once announced. The decision is final and applies for all time. It also said it does not comment on laureates' later statements, decisions, or political actions, as the prize is awarded based on contributions assessed at the time of the decision.

There are no restrictions under the Nobel Foundation's statutes on how a laureate may use the medal, diploma, or prize money. Laureates are free to keep, give away, sell, or donate these items, and several Nobel medals are displayed in museums or have been sold or donated over the years.

The statement follows a recent development involving Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who handed over her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House on Thursday. Machado described the gesture as a recognition of his "unique commitment with our freedom," and later told Fox News that Trump "deserves it," calling it "a very emotional moment."

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The Nobel Peace Prize medal is cast in 18-carat gold, weighs 196 grams, and measures 6.6 centimetres in diameter. Designed in 1901 by Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, it bears a portrait of Alfred Nobel on one side and a depiction symbolising fraternity on the other, with the Latin inscription pro pace et fraternitate gentium.