‘Non-Transferable’: Nobel Foundation Rejects Machado's Nobel Medal To Trump

The Nobel Foundation has restated that Nobel Prizes cannot be transferred or shared, even symbolically, in response to Venezuelan leader María Corina Machado presenting her 2025 Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump on January 15, 2026.
 

The Nobel Foundation reiterated days later that Nobel Prizes are non-transferable and cannot be further distributed, following the Institute's statement that laureates may neither share the prize with others nor pass it on after announcement. The announcement comes after Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presented her 2025 Nobel

Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump during a White House meeting. The gesture sparked debate on Nobel rules, prompting official clarifications.

On Sunday, an X post from the Nobel Foundation stated that protecting the dignity of the Nobel Prizes and their administration is among its primary missions.
The post stated: "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."

Machado, awarded the 2025 Peace Prize for promoting democracy and peaceful transition in Venezuela, handed the physical gold medal to Trump on Thursday, January 15, 2026. Trump accepted it as a "wonderful gesture of mutual respect."

Speaking to reporters post-Trump meeting, Machado, who received the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for championing democratic rights and a peaceful Venezuelan transition, stated she presented the medal to symbolize appreciation for his "unique commitment to our freedom."

"I presented the President of the United States the medal...the Nobel Peace Prize, and I told him this: 200 years ago, General Lafayette gave Simon Bolivar a medal with George Washington's face on it. Bolivar, since then, kept that medal for the rest of his life. It was given as a symbol of brotherhood to showcase the relationship between the people of the US and Venezuela," Machado said.

"Two hundred years in history, the people of Bolivar are giving back to the heir of Washington a medal, in this case the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize, as a recognition for his unique commitment to our freedom," she added.
US President Trump praised Machado's gesture as "a wonderful gesture of mutual respect" in a Truth Social post, thanking her for the Nobel Peace Prize medal.

His post read, "It was my Great Honor to meet Maria Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today. She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. Maria presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you, Maria!"

The White House confirmed in an X post, "President Donald J. Trump meets with Maria Corina Machado of Venezuela in the Oval Office, during which she presented the President with her Nobel Peace Prize in recognition and honor."

Earlier on January 16, the Nobel Prize website stated, "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."

Also Read: From Peace Prize To Power Play: How Nobel Pulled Trump Into Venezuela’s Struggle

(with ANI inputs)