Norwegian Nobel Committee

The Norwegian Nobel Committee chooses who gets the Nobel Peace Prize each year. They do this for the estate of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, following his will.

Five members of the committee are chosen by the Norwegian Parliament. In his will, Alfred Nobel asked Norway’s parliament to pick the winners. Back then, Norway and Sweden shared a common monarch and foreign policy because of a union between Sweden and Norway. Even though the committee’s members come from Parliament, the committee itself is a private group giving out a private prize. In recent years, many members have been former politicians.

The committee gets help from its office, the Norwegian Nobel Institute. They meet in the institute’s building, which is also where they tell the world who won. But since 1990, the actual prize giving happens in Oslo City Hall.

History

Further information: Alfred Nobel

Alfred Nobel passed away in December 1896, and in January 1897, the details of his will were made public. He had written it in 1895, stating that a Nobel Peace Prize should go to the person who does the most to bring countries together, reduce armies, and support peace meetings. Nobel left money for this prize, and the Nobel Foundation now looks after it.

It wasn’t clear why Nobel wanted the Peace Prize to be given in Norway by a group of five people chosen by Norway’s parliament. At the time, Sweden and Norway were united as one country, while the other prizes were given by groups in Sweden. A new group needed to be made — the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The Norwegian Parliament agreed to take on this job in April 1897 and set up how the committee members would be chosen in August that same year. The first Peace Prize was given in 1901 to Henri Dunant and Frédéric Passy. Over time, the committee became less tied to the parliament and more independent. Today, the committee is mostly made up of politicians, and it gets help from the Norwegian Nobel Institute, which was created in 1904. Each year, the committee looks at many nominations and asks the institute to study about twenty candidates.

List of Chairpersons

List of chairpersons

In January 1944, some people tried to take control of the Nobel Committee. This caused some members, including Jahn, to leave. The Swedish consulate-general in Oslo then helped manage the property for the Nobel Foundation.

1900–1901: Bernhard Getz 1901–1922: Jørgen Løvland 1922–1922: Hans Jacob Horst 1922–1941: Fredrik Stang 1941–1943: Gunnar Jahn 1944–1945: see below 1945–1945: Carl Joachim Hambro 1945–1966: Gunnar Jahn 1967–1967: Nils Langhelle 1967–1967: Bernt Ingvaldsen

1968–1978: Aase Lionæs 1979–1981: John Sanness 1982–1989: Egil Aarvik 1990–1990: Gidske Anderson 1991–1999: Francis Sejersted 2000–2002: Gunnar Berge 2003–2008: Ole Danbolt Mjøs 2009–2015: Thorbjørn Jagland 2015–2017: Kaci Kullmann Five 2017–2023: Berit Reiss-Andersen 2024–present: Jørgen Watne Frydnes

Members

Main article: List of members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has five members who help choose the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize each year. These members are chosen by the Norwegian Parliament. As of 2025, the members include:

• Anne Enger, a former leader of the Centre Party and Minister of Culture.
• Asle Toje (Vice Chair), a scholar who studies foreign policy.
• Kristin Clemet, a former member of the Conservative Party who worked in the Norwegian Parliament.
• Jørgen Watne Frydnes (Chair), a businessman and leader of nonprofit groups.
• Gry Larsen, a former Labour Party official who handled foreign affairs for Norway.

Secretariat

The committee receives help from the Norwegian Nobel Institute, which acts as its office. The head of the institute is called the secretary. The secretary is not part of the committee but works for the Norwegian Nobel Institute.

List of secretaries

• 1901–1909: Christian Lous Lange
• 1910–1945: Ragnvald Moe
• 1946–1973: August Schou
• 1974–1977: Tim Greve
• 1978–1989: Jakob Sverdrup
• 1990–2015: Geir Lundestad
• 2015–2025: Olav Njølstad
• 2025–present: Kristian Berg Harpviken