Machado hands Trump her Nobel Prize: Who are the Nobel winners who ditched their medals forever?

Nobel Prizes are symbols of human achievement and of the relentless efforts put in by people throughout their lives.


These awards and recognitions are given out each year to celebrate exceptional contributions in the fields of science, peace, literature, and more. But what happens when winners decide to part with the gold?

Recently, Venezuelan leader Maria Corina Machado gave away her Nobel Prize for peace to President Donald Trump, which she received in 2025 for her contribution to promoting peace in Venezuela.

Ever since then, there has been a lot of buzz around whether the prize can actually be passed on, and whether there have been any such occurrences in the past.




History shows laureates treating them as tools for bigger causes, whether charity or ideology. The Nobel Foundation says that the honour stays with the winner forever, but the physical medal?

Machado's Gift to Trump

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado met President Donald Trump at the White House on January 15, 2026, and handed over her Nobel Peace Prize medal. She called it "a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom," linking it to his support against Nicolás Maduro's regime. The Nobel Committee immediately stated the prize can't be transferred; it's permanent to the laureate, but physically, the prize can be given away, according to the Norwegian Nobel Institute statement.


Previously, there have been several incidents when recipients have given away their Nobel Prize!

Muratov's auction record

Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov shared the 2021 Peace Prize with Maria Ressa for defending free speech. In 2022, after Russia's Ukraine invasion, he auctioned his medal for $103.5 million, donating all to UNICEF for Ukrainian child refugees, according to the Nobel Prize records. It shattered auction records, showing prizes as a force for aid.

Neil Bohr sold his Nobel Prize

Danish physicist Niels Bohr sold his 1922 Chemistry medal in 1940 for Finnish War Relief after the Soviet invasion. His colleague August Krogh did the same with his 1920 Physiology prize; both medals later went to Danish museums According to the Nobel Foundation history. Bohr's son Aage, a 1975 Physics winner with Ben Mottelson and James Rainwater, saw his medal auctioned twice in 2011 and 2019 for science funds.

Writer Hamsun gave away his medal

Norwegian writer Knut Hamsun, 1920 Literature winner, gave his medal to Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels during World War II as sympathy. A vocal Hitler admirer, Hamsun's action shocked colleagues and stained his legacy. Post-war, Norway convicted him of treason, but he kept the title.

Watson and Nash Sales

James Watson, 1962 Medicine co-winner for DNA structure with Crick and Wilkins, sold his medal in 2014 for conservation and research. Buyer Alisher Usmanov returned it, saying Watson "deserved" it. John Nash's 1994 Economics medal fetched $735,000 at Christie's in 2019 for his game theory work, funding a trust in his name.