Archive · 30 Jan 2026
Nobel Committee Blames Digital Espionage for Early Peace Prize Leak
The Nobel Committee thinks someone used digital spying to find out who won the 2025 Peace Prize before it was announced.
They suspect it might have been a criminal or a country trying to cause trouble.
A lot of money was bet on a woman named Maria Corina Machado, who fights against bad leaders in Venezuela.
She won the prize for her work and even thanked the U.S. President.
The Committee is now trying to make sure this doesn't happen again.
The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner's name was likely revealed early due to digital espionage.
Bets on Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado spiked to $2.2 million before the official announcement.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee is investigating whether the leak was internal or due to external spying.
Machado won the award for her efforts against dictatorship in Venezuela and dedicated it partly to U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Committee is now focusing on preventing future breaches.
- Who
- The Norwegian Nobel Committee and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado
- What
- The early revelation of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner due to suspected digital espionage
- When
- The breach was noticed on October 10, 2024, before the official announcement
- Where
- Oslo, Norway
- Why
- To uncover the winner's name ahead of the official release, possibly for profit or to damage the prize's credibility
- Suspected Cause
- Digital espionage
- Likely Winner
- Maria Corina Machado
- Bet Amount
- $2.2 million
- Prize Category
- Nobel Peace Prize
- Year
- 2025
- Investigation Agency
- One of Norway's three intelligence agencies
- Machado's Cause
- Fighting dictatorship in Venezuela
- Dedication
- Partially dedicated to U.S. President Donald Trump