The Nobel Peace Prize remains permanently tied to the individual or organisation that wins it, even if the physical medal is given away, the Norwegian Nobel Committee clarified on Friday. The statement came a day after Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado handed her Nobel medal to U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said he plans to keep it. The committee stressed that the honour and recognition of the prize cannot be transferred.

According to the Nobel Committee, while the medal, diploma and prize money are tangible items, the Nobel Prize itself is an immutable historical record. Machado’s award also includes a diploma and prize money of 11 million Swedish crowns. The committee noted that there are no rules restricting what laureates may do with these items, meaning they are free to keep, donate, sell or give them away.

However, the committee emphasised that the identity of the laureate never changes. Regardless of the fate of the medal or other components, the original recipient remains recorded as the Nobel laureate. Citing past examples, the committee noted that previous winners have donated or sold their medals, including Nobel laureates who used them for political gestures or humanitarian fundraising, without altering the official status of the prize.

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