María Corina Machado of Venezuela has won the Nobel Peace Prize 2025. She received the award for her endeavors for establishing democracy in Venezuela.

María Corina Machado has been at the forefront of the struggle for democracy in Venezuela, standing firm against the country’s growing authoritarianism. Ms Machado studied engineering and finance, and briefly pursued a career in business. In 1992, she founded the Atenea Foundation, an organisation dedicated to supporting street children in Caracas.

Announced on the official website of The Nobel Prize, the committee recognised her career in a press release.

In 2023, she announced her candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. After being barred from running, she threw her support behind the opposition’s alternative candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia. The opposition mobilised broadly and gathered extensive evidence demonstrating it had won the election. Nevertheless, the regime declared itself victorious and further consolidated its hold on power.