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A proposal for the antithesis of the Nobel peace prize

By John Töns - posted Thursday, 7 August 2025


  • The Ig Nobel Prizes-satirical awards that celebrate unusual or trivial achievements in science, reminding us that not all recognition is honourable.
  • The Golden Raspberry Awards ("Razzies")-given to the worst films and performances, highlighting failings in a light-hearted manner.
  • "Hall of Shame" Lists-compiled by NGOs or media, naming and shaming egregious polluters, violators, or corrupt officials.

Yet, none of these addresses the gravity of actions that stand in direct opposition to the promotion of peace. There are benefits to such an award:

  • Deterrence Through Exposure: The threat of public exposure might dissuade potential perpetrators from pursuing destructive courses.
  • Educational Value: The award could serve as a focal point for curricula on peace, ethics, and global citizenship.
  • Media Attention: The spectacle of such a prize would undoubtedly draw global coverage, amplifying its message-both as warning and call to action.
  • Emphasis on Education, Not Humiliation: The focus should remain on societal improvement, using infamy as a tool for discourse, not destruction.
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The conception of a prize for those who stand as architects of discord is not a call for mockery or vendetta, but an invitation for honest confrontation with the darkest aspects of our shared humanity. Just as the Nobel Peace Prize galvanizes efforts toward harmony, its opposite could illuminate the causes and consequences of conflict-so that future generations might learn, reflect, and choose a better path.

In a paradoxical way, the recognition of infamy is not an end, but a beginning: a chance for collective reckoning and, perhaps, for redemption. By holding a mirror to the world's failures as well as its triumphs, we may move, however haltingly, toward the peace we so ardently seek.

 

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About the Author

John Töns is President of the Zero Carbon Network a network established to promote clear thinking about the issues associated with climate change. In addition to operating the only zero carbon boarding kennels in South Australia he is also completing a PhD at Flinders University in the area of Global Justice. John is a founding member of a new political party Stop Population Growth Now.

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