Nobel Peace Prize 2021: A look at some of the most recognisable winners of all time

In its 120 years of history, the Nobel Peace Prize has celebrated the efforts of 109 individuals and 28 organisations. The trend of awarding the flagbearers of peace and harmony started in 1901, besides other laurels given out in the fields of Physiology or Medicine, Chemistry, Physics, Literature and Economic Sciences, which was added later. While journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov won the 2021 Nobel Peace prize, here are some of the most recognisable winners in history. 

Nelson Mandela

Going by the nickname ‘Madiba’ or the Father of South Africa, Nelson Mandela chose the path of peace and non-violence against an apartheid regime after being inspired by the principles of Mahatma Gandhi. He shared the 1993 peace prize with Frederik Willem de Klerk for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime and laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa. Mandela was South Africa’s first black President and rose to this position after spending 18 years in the notorious prison island Robben Island for his resistance efforts against racism. 

Dalai Lama

Spiritual leader Dalai Lama, originally named Tenzin Gyatso, was awarded the peace prize in 1989 for advocating peaceful solutions based upon tolerance and mutual respect in order to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of his people. Born on 6 July 1935 in Tibet’s Taktser, Dalai Lama was in India when he won the laurel as he was exiled from his land for spearheading the nonviolent opposition to China's occupation of Tibet.

Malala Yousafzai

A leading advocate of girls' rights, Malala won the laurel in 2014 for the struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education. She shared the prize with India’s own activist Kailash Satyarthi, known for his contributions to children’s welfare. Born in the Swat district of northwestern Pakistan, she was shot by the Taliban gunmen in 2012 while on a school bus, for opening up against the Taliban's growing influence in the region to the foreign media.

Barack Hussein Obama

Barack Obama, who served as the 44th US President, won the peace prize in 2009 “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”. The Nobel committee stated that Obama’s strong advocacy for human rights, democracy, and disarmament helped him win the prize. 

Aung San Suu Kyi

This Nobel laureate became a global figure after a military coup happened earlier this February during her rule in Myanmar. However, she carries a global portfolio as she won the peace prize in 1991 “for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights." A Delhi University alumna, Suu Kyi was born on 19 June 1945, in modern-day Burma and is the daughter of the legendary liberation movement leader Aung San. 

Image: Twitter/@NobelPrize/AP