By Vibeke Laroi March 10 (Bloomberg) — Nominations for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize reached 237, the largest group of potential winners to be put forward in the award’s 109-year history. Of the nominees, 38 are organizations and the rest individuals, Geir Lundestad , director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo, said in a telephone interview today. The previous record was 205, set last year. Nominations cover all categories of people and groups involved in everything from the environment to human rights to arms control, he said. Nominees’ names aren’t disclosed. U.S. President Barack Obama was awarded the peace prize last year for his efforts to strengthen international diplomacy just nine months into his term, marking the first time the Nobel committee honored a head of state for laying out a vision rather than for practical accomplishments. “The fairly big increase” in nominations “reflects the growing interest in the prize,” Lundestad said. “The fact that Obama received the prize last year probably added interest.” Members of national assemblies and governments, international courts, university rectors, as well as active and former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee are among those who can put forward names for the prize. The Nobel institute keeps nominees’ names secret for 50 years. The winner is picked by the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee , which keeps its deliberations secret, and is typically announced in mid-October. Past Laureates Obama was the third sitting U.S. president to be awarded the prize, following Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and Woodrow Wilson in 1919. Former President Jimmy Carter won in 2002. Martti Ahtisaari , former president of Finland, won the prize in 2008 for efforts to resolve international hostilities, returning the award to its traditional aim of honoring people who work to end conflicts. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and a United Nations panel on the environment won the prize for raising awareness of the threat from climate change in 2007. Other past laureates include Martin Luther King Jr . and groups such as the International Committee of the Red Cross. The award is handed out at a ceremony in Oslo on Dec. 10, the anniversary of the death in 1896 of Alfred Nobel , a Swedish industrialist, who set up prizes for achievements in peace, physics, medicine, chemistry and literature in his will. Sweden decides on all awards besides the peace prize. To contact the reporter on this story: Vibeke Laroi in Oslo at vlaroi@bloomberg.net
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Nobel Peace Prize Nominations Reach 237, Most in 109-Year History of Award
