Why did Obama win the Nobel Peace Prize?

How do you win it?

In 1895, Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, stated in his will that he wished to give a share of his fortune to a series of prizes, the Nobel Prizes.

He said that the Nobel Peace Prize should be awarded to "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses""

Facts about the Nobel Peace Prize

• There are six Nobel Prizes for peace, chemistry, physics, medicine, literature and economics.
• The first Nobel Prize was awarded in 1901.
• The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize receives a gold medal, a diploma and 10m Swedish kronor (£896,000).
• 90 Nobel Peace Prizes have been awarded since 1901
• Previous winners include Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jnr. and Mother Teresa
• The names of the Nobel nominees each year can't be revealed until 50 years later, but the committee does reveal how many nominees there were.
• In 2009, 205 names were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and 33 of these were organisations, not individual people.

Should Obama have won?

The Nobel Prize committee stated that Obama was awarded the prize for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples".

Some people were surprised that Obama received the prize and believe it is more of a reward for his good intentions than for his achievements.

Others believe that he deserved the prize as since becoming President he has started a campaign to rid the world of nuclear weapons and given hope for world peace.

Your thoughts

"He apparently 'changed the face of modern politics' by campaigning against Guantanamo bay and nuclear weapons but … he hasn't actually done any of it yet." Esjay

"The Nobel Prize committee said he got the prize because he wants to take away all nuclear weapons and have peace in the world" Emmrocks