Nobel Medals: Symbolic Awards, Personal Choices

The Nobel Peace Prize, while ceremonially tied to its laureate, offers freedom in handling the medal, diploma, or prize money. The Nobel Foundation acknowledges past instances where laureates have sold, donated, or gifted their prizes, emphasizing that historical record preserves the original recipient's honor, regardless of the prize's physical location.

The Nobel Peace Prize symbolizes international recognition, but its physical attributes can be freely managed by its laureates, as highlighted by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. A recent example involves Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado presenting her medal to U.S. President Donald Trump, a gesture permissible by the Nobel Foundation's guidelines.

The Foundation clarified that while recipients may decide the fate of the medal, diploma, or prize money, the honor remains historically linked to the original laureate. This approach respects laureates' autonomy, demonstrated when some have chosen to sell or donate their medals for charitable causes.

Prevailing examples include Nobel Peace laureate Dmitry Muratov selling his medal for UNICEF support and Kofi Annan's widow donating his medal. These acts reflect the laureates' enduring impact, transcending the physical confines of the medals themselves, reaffirming the Nobel's symbolic and historical value.

(With inputs from agencies.)