Earliest Odds for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017: Who’s the Bookies’ Favorite?

Current heads, ministers, and cabinet members of sovereign states can nominate anybody for the Nobel Peace Prize. Therefore, even Vladimir Putin might appear on the nominees list, alongside Angela Merkel and Pope Francis. One thing is for sure: you’ll find their odds below! Check out even more early odds for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017!

Before betting on any event, we all like to see a list of names, prepared and confirmed by the organizer. Well, you don’t have that when it comes to the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Institute “can never confirm, or disconfirm, whether someone has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize until the full list of nominations is made public after 50 years.”  What you have is common sense, awareness – and hopefully, – luck.

“Placing a bet on the winning horse is not the goal of the prize. Recognizing a predictable winner is not the point,” wrote former executive director of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum, Dr. Maureen K. Reed, in 2016. From the 318 candidates in 2017, bookies assigned the best odds for the Nobel Peace Prize to Angela Merkel and Pope Francis. It’s reasonable, considering that Angela Merkel has been speculated to win since 2015.

Angela Merkel and Pope Francis, head to head for the Nobel Peace Prize

In the same year, Germans were asked whether Mrs Merkel deserves the Nobel Peace Prize or not. 73% percent of them said ‘no’. When asked about her chances, the Iron Chancellor replied: “That debate almost depresses me. You can believe me, I’m really busy. And under a lot of pressure.” Before deciding to bet on Pope Francis, you should consider the fact that no pope has ever won the prize, which can be seen as advantage. Pope Francis earned his spot by speaking out against the destruction of the environment and for his compassion for those in need.

Vladimir Putin and his odds for the Nobel Peace Prize

“Nobel Peace Prize are submitted from all corners of the world,” including the Russian Federation, ruled by Mr Putin. In 2014, shortly after invading Ukraine, it was revealed that Vladimir Putin was on the nominees list for the Nobel Peace Prize. According to National Geographic, he was nominated by the International Academy of Spiritual Unity and Cooperation of Peoples of the World, which is a “Russian advocacy group that broadly pursues peace.” The Academy nominated him for his peaceful negotiation tactics with Syria in 2013. As you can see, the sky’s the limit!

Odds for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017