Since the 1990s Oslo’s Nobel Peace Prize ceremony has been held in City Hall, yet the list of invitees remains shrouded in mystery, leaving observers puzzled.
History of the Peace Prize venue
The Nobel Peace Prize, as Alfred Nobel intended, was to be awarded in Oslo by the Norwegian branch of the Nobel Committee. When Oslo separated from Sweden in 1905, King Haakon VII, formerly Christian Friedrich Charles, reinforced the city’s independent monarchy and the Nobel Committee’s independence. The basic rules and awarding criteria have remained largely unchanged, but the places of presentation have shifted several times.
The evolving ceremony location
Initially the Nobel announcement and award were modest affairs held in the Norwegian Institute’s vicinity of the Royal Palace, described by historian Oyvid Stenersen as a “white‑bearded gentleman’s accolade for other white‑bearded gentlemen.” With the prize’s prestige rising in the 1970s and 80s, the ceremony moved to the Aula of Oslo University. Since the 1990s a new Secretary, Geir Lundestad, transferred it to Oslo City Hall, where seniority dictates seating: the royal family at the front, government and parliament officials after them, followed by diplomatic corps and then the laureates’ guests.
The mystery of invitations
Official invitations are supposedly issued by the Norwegian Institute, yet the exact process is unclear. Stenersen notes that, in practice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must consent; otherwise the recipient will not receive a formal invitation. The Committee stresses autonomous decision‑making, but the ceremony’s pomp appears to cede some sovereignty to politicians, a stance that seems contrary to Nobel’s will.
Notable foreign guests and absences
In recent years, representatives from laureates’ home countries have often declined to attend. For example, Russian laureates in the last five years were not represented by the Russian envoy, and the Belarusian ambassador did not applaud a medal received by a wife of a Gulag prisoner. Venezuela’s ambassador left Oslo weeks after the award to María Corina Machado and did not inform Norwegian authorities of Caracas’s decision to dissolve its embassy in Norway.
The banquet at Grand Hotel
After the ceremony, most guests proceed to the Grand Hotel for the official banquet. The hotel, located on Karl Johans Gate near Parliament, has hosted laureates since 1901. The event is meticulously planned over months, with menus chosen by the Institute’s chefs and a final menu revealed only on the eve of dinner. Last year, a Japanese nuclear‑disarmament laureate was served a complex course featuring grilled cucumbers and a broth of Norwegian carrots with miso and herbal sauces.
Recent controversies
The ceremony’s host, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, often delivers the opening toast and speech. Former chair Thorbjørn Jagland, whose tenure ran 2009‑2015, was notorious for crude, sexist jokes that caused consternation among guests. His name surfaced again in 2024 after documents linked him to a scandal involving Jeffrey Epstein, stirring media attention. The monarchy’s role at the banquet has likewise evolved, with King Harald V attending only recently, while previous monarchs had not been present.