Climate change activist Greta Thunberg, 16, the young leaders of the Hong Kong protest movement and the Ethiopean PM are the bookmaker’s hot tips for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.
The winner will be announced at a press conference on Friday at 8pm (AEST) at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo.
The list of nominees is not released publically but there are 223 individuals and 78 organisations up for the prize, which is in its 100th year.
The bookies are confident Ms Thunberg, who grabbed the world’s attention in 2018 by skipping school and standing outside Swedish Parliament to call for a tougher stance on climate change, is the favourite.
The London-based betting company Coral has put her at 1/2 odds.
If she wins she will become the youngest person in the world to be awarded the prestigious honour.
Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai was 17 years old when she shared the prize in 2014.
Director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Dan Smith, told ABC’s Radio National program on Friday morning the Norwegian Nobel Committee was known for “surprising” pundits in its choice of the recipient.
“They have a very proud record of surprising everybody with their choice and afterwards, everyone says ‘oh yes I could see that coming’ but they never did,” Mr Smith said.
“So I don’t think there’s anything like a shoo-in for the Nobel peace prize there’s a lot of good candidates in the names that have been publically circulating.”
The teenager faces strong competition from world leaders.
Ethiopian prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, indigenous Brazilian leader Raoni Metuktire and New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, are all tipped to be in the running.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is the second favourite to take out the prestigious gong after he helped end a brutal border war with Eritrea.
Around 100,000 people perished in the war which ran from 1998 to 2000 and was likened by many to World War II for the sheer scale of death and savagery which took place.
Henrik Urdal, director of Peace Research Institute Oslo, who writes a widely cited Peace Prize shortlist every year, is doubtful the award will go to the climate change activist, but Mr Ahmed makes the top five.
Mr Urdal writes that the prize is likely to recognise the “contributions of young people,” listing Nathan Law Kwun-chung, Agnes Chow Ting and Joshua Wong Chi-fung, as possibilities for their roles in the protests.
Asked if the committee would be hesitant to award the prize to the protestors, who have been a thorn in the Chinese Communist Party’s side for months, Mr Smith said there was a long history of little care for state interests.
“I don’t think the ire of China would actually have much of an impact as far as the Nobel peace prize committee is concerned,” he said.
“Again they have a record of not really seeming to bother too much who they annoy if they think something is the right choice.”
Last year, the prize was awarded to former ISIS sex slave Nadia Murad and Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.”
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