Ana Corina Sosa Machado receives a standing ovation as she accepts the Nobel Peace Prize diploma and medal on her mother’s behalf.
María Corina Machado won’t attend the Oslo Peace Prize ceremony, the Norwegian Nobel Institute’s director told the state broadcaster, and her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, will accept the award on her behalf. Norwegian Nobel Committee Chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes added that while Machado will miss the ceremony, she is safe in Oslo and is expected to join later Nobel-related events in the city.
The ceremony opened with a musical tribute from Venezuelan singer Danny Ocean, who performed “Alma Llanera” and “Venezuela,” honoring his home country.
Today, Wednesday the 10th, about a thousand guests are gathering for the ceremony, including King Harald and Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, senior political and diplomatic figures, and Machado’s closest relatives. The program is also featuring Venezuelan cultural tributes: pianist Gabriela Montero is performing “Mi Querencia” by Simón Díaz at Machado’s request.
A high-risk trip to Oslo
The official events leading up to the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony start this Tuesday in Oslo. TThe prize will be awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who has confirmed that she will travel from Venezuela despite having been living in hiding.
NNobel officials consider her trip to be high risk. TThe Nobel Institute informed EFE that Machado confirmed her attendance by phone after committee chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes warned that the journey could be dangerous due to potential retaliation from Nicolás Maduro’s government. He also stressed the need to ensure that Machado can return safely to Venezuela.
Tuesday, December 9: Exhibition preview
The Nobel Peace Center is already under way with its three-day program. On Tuesday, December 9, the center gives the press a preview of its annual exhibition honoring the laureate from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Oslo time (3:00 to 5:00 a.m. New York time). This year’s exhibition highlights Machado’s fight — and the broader Venezuelan opposition’s — for democracy, framed within a wider global slide toward authoritarian rule. The official opening is set for December 11, and the exhibition opens to the public on December 12.
Tuesday, December 9: Press conference cancelled
The press conference that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was scheduled to hold on Tuesday at the Nobel Institute in Oslo, on the eve of receiving the Peace Prize, was cancelled, and the organization said it was not possible at that moment to predict how or when the former lawmaker would arrive in the Norwegian capital.
Wednesday, December 10: Children’s Peace Prize
Wednesday, December 10, begins with the Children’s Peace Prize event organized by Save the Children, which will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Oslo, or 5:00 to 6:00 a.m. in New York. For the first time, it will be held outdoors in front of the Nobel Peace Center. SSeventh grade students from Oslo will participate in the event, and Princess Ingrid Alexandra will be in attendance. Machado is included in the program.
WWednesday, December 10: Celebration of the People’s Peace Prize
The afternoon will feature the first public edition of the People’s Peace Prize celebration, taking place from 12:30 to 5:45 p.m. Oslo time, or 6:30 to 11:45 a.m. New York time. City Hall Square will host concerts, talks, screenings, and a large outdoor broadcast of the main ceremony.
Wednesday, December 10: Nobel Peace Prize ceremony
The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony takes place at Oslo City Hall, the award’s long-standing venue, at 1:00 p.m. in Oslo (7:00 a.m. in New York). María Corina Machado does not receive the prize in person; instead, her daughter accepts the diploma, medal, and monetary award on her behalf before roughly a thousand invited guests, including the royal family, senior officials, diplomats, and Machado’s close relatives.
Wednesday, December 10: Torchlight procession
That evening, a torchlight procession will run from 5:45 to 7:00 p.m. Oslo time, or 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. New York time, with the march itself starting at 6:15 p.m. in Oslo, or 12:15 p.m. in New York. It will go from the Nobel Peace Center to the Grand Hotel, where the laureate traditionally greets the crowd from the balcony. The Norwegian Venezuelan Justice Alliance is organizing the event this year, following the resignation of the historic Norwegian Peace Council.
Wednesday, December 10: Gala dinner
The day ends with the Nobel Peace Prize gala dinner, an official banquet for more than 200 guests, hosted by Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit together with the prime minister and the president of parliament. It will take place in the evening in Oslo, which is late afternoon into evening in New York.
Thursday, December 11: Final activities
Final activities are scheduled for Thursday, December 11. Machado will visit the Norwegian parliament at a time still to be confirmed, meet with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and attend the official opening of the Nobel Peace Center’s annual exhibition dedicated to her life and work.