Nobel Committee Addresses Transfer of Prize Following María Corina Machado Presentation to Trump, Cites Ancient Precedents
The Nobel Committee has issued a statement clarifying its position on the transfer of Nobel prizes following Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado’s presentation of her medal to former U.S. President Donald Trump. The Committee emphasized that the prize and the laureate remain inextricably linked,irrespective of the physical medal’s location.
the Committee’s response comes as Machado presented her World Liberty Congress medal, frequently enough referred to as a Nobel-like prize, to Trump during a recent meeting. While not an official Nobel Prize, the gesture prompted the Committee to address the broader issue of prize ownership and transfer.
Historical Precedents for Prize Transfers
The Nobel Committee provided examples of previous Nobel laureates who no longer possess their medals or certificates.These cases demonstrate a range of circumstances leading to the transfer of the prize.
- Dmitri Muratov: The 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, a Russian journalist, sold his medal at auction to raise funds for Ukrainian refugee children.
- Kofi Annan: The widow of the late UN Secretary-General and 2001 Nobel peace Prize winner, Kofi Annan, returned his medal and certificate to the United Nations after his death.
- Knut Hamsun: The 1920 nobel Prize laureate in Literature, Knut Hamsun, sent his medal to Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister, in 1943.
The inclusion of Hamsun, a controversial figure due to his pro-Nazi sympathies, highlights the complex history surrounding Nobel laureates and their actions.
The Committee’s Stance on Laureate Recognition
The Nobel Committee reiterated that the original laureate remains historically recognized as the recipient of the prize, irrespective of what happens to the physical medal, certificate, or prize money. This clarifies that the honor bestowed upon an individual is not diminished by subsequent transfers or actions.
“Regardless of what happens to the medal, the certificate or the prize money, the original laureate is and remains the one who goes down in history as the recipient of the prize,” the Committee stated.