Archive · 2 Oct 2026
Why Mahatma Gandhi Never Won the Nobel Peace Prize
Mahatma Gandhi helped lead India’s movement against British rule using non-violence.
People nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize five times.
These nominations happened between 1937 and 1948.
The Nobel Committee found it difficult to fit his work into its usual categories.
Some members also had concerns about his views during the India-Pakistan conflict.
Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948, shortly before that year’s nomination deadline.
The committee considered whether it could give him the prize after his death.
It ultimately decided not to award the prize in 1948 because it said there was no suitable living candidate.
Later Nobel officials expressed regret about Gandhi’s omission.
Indian leaders and diplomatic missions worldwide honored Mahatma Gandhi on October 2 for his principles of truth, non-violence and peace.
Gandhi was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and 1948.
The Nobel Committee reportedly struggled to classify Gandhi’s non-violent political and social work within its established selection categories.
Some committee members reportedly questioned Gandhi’s pacifism and his position during the 1947 India-Pakistan conflict.
After Gandhi’s assassination in January 1948, the committee decided against a posthumous award and left the 1948 prize unawarded.
- Who
- Mahatma Gandhi, Indian political leaders, Indian diplomatic missions and the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
- What
- Gandhi was remembered on his birth anniversary, while the reasons he never received the Nobel Peace Prize were revisited.
- When
- Tributes were held on Friday, October 2; Gandhi was nominated in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and 1948, and was assassinated on January 30, 1948.
- Where
- Tributes took place in India and at Indian diplomatic missions worldwide, including Canberra, Australia.
- Why
- Gandhi was not awarded the prize because the committee reportedly found his work difficult to classify, had concerns about his political and conflict-related positions, and ultimately rejected a posthumous award.
- Birth
- October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat
- Nobel nominations
- 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and 1948
- Commemorative day
- Gandhi Jayanti in India and the International Day of Non-Violence worldwide
- Assassination
- January 30, 1948
- 1948 committee decision
- The Norwegian Nobel Committee did not award the Peace Prize that year, citing no suitable living candidate.
- Nobel selection body
- The five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee
- Information embargo
- Nominee names and nomination details remain confidential for 50 years