Oslo, October 8: Theย laureate of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on October 9 in Oslo.ย The prestigiousย Nobel Peace Prize, which isย  one of the world's top accolade, will be awarded to one of the many contenders in the list. According to details on the the Nobel Prize official website, there areย 318ย candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2020,ย of which 211ย are individuals and 107ย are organizations.ย 318ย is the fourth highest number of candidates ever. The current record of 376 candidates was reached in 2016.

The nominations of Nobel Peace Prize are secret for 50 years now, but those who nominate can choose to divulge their choices.ย Theย Committee does not itself announce the names of nominees, neither to the media nor to the candidates themselves.ย Certain names crop up in speculations as to who will be awarded any given yearโ€™s Prize, this is either sheer guesswork or information put out by the person or persons behind the nomination.ย Nobel Prize in Literature 2020 Winner: Louise Gluck, an American Poet, Receives the Honour for Her Unmistakable Poetic Voice.

Top Contenders forย 2020 Nobel Peace Prize:

Greta Thunberg

Greta Thunberg, theย Swedish teenager, isย listed among those deemed most likely to win.ย Thunberg had also won the TIMEโ€™s 2019 Person of the Year, which is often referred to as theย โ€œalternative Nobel prizeโ€ for her climate change activism.ย Theย Swedish environmental activist was likely to win last yearโ€™s Nobel Peace Prize forย raising awareness about the climate emergency. However, theย Nobel Peace Prize 2019ย ended up going to the Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed for his efforts to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea.

Jacinda Ardern

Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand prime minister was believedย to be a potential winner last year for her handling of the Christchurch terror attacks.ย Her strong but empathetic response to the Christchurch massacre and herย swift action on COVID-19 which helped New Zealand maintain one of the worldโ€™s lowest death rates, garnered a lot of praise across the globe. As perย Oddschecker, which collects odds from multiple bookmakers, said she is the third most likely contender to win the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.

World Health Organization

Theย World Health Organization (WHO) is believed to be the potential winner by some commentators for its role in leading the worldโ€™s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to media reports, those nominated are Greta Thunberg and Fridays for Future, NATO, the European Court of Human Rights, Julian Assange, Edward Snowden and jailed Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul.ย  Information in the Nobel Committeeโ€™s nomination database is not made public until after fifty years.ย Theย Norwegian Nobel Committeeย is responsible for selecting the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates.

Loujain al-Hathloul

In May 2018, Saudi Arabian authorities detained Loujain al-Hathloul with several other womenโ€™s rights activists. This happened just one month before the Kingdom lifted its longstanding ban on women driving. Hathloulโ€™s imprisonment is a reminder of the price of dissent under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Alexei Navalny

Alexei Navalny is a Russian political opponent who is a potential recipient for the Nobel Peace Prize 2020. Navalny, the Russian opposition figure recently left hospital in Berlin after being treated there for novichok poisoning. He alleges that Russian president Vladimir Putin was behind the attack.

A nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize may be submitted by any persons who are qualified to nominate.ย The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway, not in Stockholm, Sweden, where the Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and the Economics Prize are awarded.

Nobel Peace Prize 2019 Winner

In 2019, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Ali was given the award for his important work to promote reconciliation, solidarity and social justice.ย The prize is also meant to recognise all the stakeholders working for peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia and in the East and Northeast African regions.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 08, 2020 08:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).