Will Zelensky, Ukraine Be Nominated For A Nobel Peace Prize?

Lawmakers from various European countries wrote a letter to the Nobel Committee in Norway on March 11, imploring them to change guidelines so the Ukrainian president and the people of Ukraine can be nominated for the prestigious honor.

The current rules cut off the date for nomination on Jan. 31.

“In light of historically unprecedented events, we respectfully call upon the Nobel Peace Prize Committee to reopen and reconsider the 2022 nomination procedure for the Nobel Peace Prize,” the letter begins.

The letter received signatures from lawmakers in The Netherlands, Estonia, Romania, the U.K., Sweden, Bulgaria, Germany, Slovakia and Belgium. They ask the Nobel Committee to extend the date of cutoff for consideration for a Nobel Prize considering the unprecedented Russian invasion of Ukraine and continued war.

“Extending and thereby reopening the nomination procedure for the Nobel Peace Prize until March 31, 2022, to allow for a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for President Zelensky and the people of Ukraine,” the letter requests.

There are 343 candidates being considered for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, 251 are individuals and 92 are organizations. Officials in charge of the Nobel prizes say that this is the second-highest number of individuals ever considered, especially if Zelensky and Ukrainians are included.

However, the committee never reveals nominees until 50 years after they are nominated, not to the media or the candidates being considered.

“The statutes of the Nobel Foundation restrict disclosure of information about the nominations, whether publicly or privately, for 50 years. The restriction concerns the nominees and nominators, as well as investigations and opinions related to the award of a prize,” the Nobel Prize website reads.

However, the Nobel Prize committee clarifies on the website that “nominations which do not meet the deadline are normally included in the following year’s assessment.” It is possible for Zelensky and the Ukrainian people to be nominated for the 2023 awards if the committee does not change its guidelines.

Still, European lawmakers have asked the committee to consider what it can do to help Ukraine this year as the war rages on.

“The veneer of civilization is paper-thin, we are its guardians and we can never rest,” the letter reads.