‘Champion of Peace’: Venezuelan Opposition Leader María Corina Machado Wins 2025 Nobel Peace Prize
OSLO, NORWAY – October 10, 2025 – Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday.
The committee described Machado as “a brave and committed champion of peace – a woman who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.”
Machado has been a pivotal figure in Latin America’s pro-democracy movements, playing a crucial role in unifying Venezuela’s once-fragmented opposition against the authoritarian government of Nicolás Maduro. She was a leading organizer of the 2014 Venezuelan protests and has faced political persecution, including being barred from running for office, for her activism.
An industrial engineer by training, Machado entered politics in 2002 and is the National Coordinator of the Vente Venezuela political party. Her persistent and courageous efforts have earned her international recognition; she was named one of the BBC’s 100 most influential women in 2018 and was included in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people this year.
The announcement came as a disappointment to supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump, who was considered a contender for the prize following his claims of stopping multiple wars and his administration’s role in brokering peace agreements.
