Venezuelan pro-democracy campaigner María Corina Machado has won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. Despite an unprecedented and public campaign for the accolade by President Donald Trump, the prize committee in Norway chose Venezuela’s main opposition leader in recognition of her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela.” 

Who’s María Corina Machado? 
Born in Caracas in 1967, she is the co-founder of Súmate, an organization that promotes free and fair elections. In 2010, she was elected to Venezuela’s National Assembly but was expelled four years later after being accused of plotting to overthrow incumbent autocrat Nicolás Maduro — charges that the International Foundation for Electoral Systems called unfounded.

She was banned from running for president in 2024 by Venezuela’s Supreme Court. And after Maduro declared victory in an election widely condemned by observers, she has lived largely in hiding, making only a few brief public appearances, due to the threats to her safety posed by the Maduro regime. 

Who chooses the Nobel Peace Prize winner? 
The recipient is chosen by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, made up of five adults elected by Norway’s parliament, the Storting. Each member is elected for a six-year term and can be reelected. 

Nominations for the prize can only be submitted by qualified nominators, who include members of national governments, heads of state, officials with international peace organizations, and university professors. Former recipients can also submit nominations, but nobody can nominate themselves. 

How do they decide on a winner? 
This year, there were 338 nominations for the peace prize by the January deadline, and in March, the committee prepared a shortlist. On Monday, the committee convened beneath a portrait of founder Alfred Nobel to share “coffee and pleasantries,” said the BBC. Proceedings always begin with a “reading of the criteria for the prize, enshrined in Nobel’s will from 1895,” before debate gets underway behind closed doors. 

“We discuss, we argue; there’s a high temperature,” committee chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes said to the broadcaster. “But also, of course, we are civilized, and we try to make a consensus-based decision every year.”

Venezuelan pro-democracy campaigner María Corina Machado has won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. Despite an unprecedented and public campaign for the accolade by President Donald Trump, the prize committee in Norway chose Venezuela’s main opposition leader in recognition of her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela.” 

Who’s María Corina Machado? 
Born in Caracas in 1967, she is the co-founder of Súmate, an organization that promotes free and fair elections. In 2010, she was elected to Venezuela’s National Assembly but was expelled four years later after being accused of plotting to overthrow incumbent autocrat Nicolás Maduro — charges that the International Foundation for Electoral Systems called unfounded.

She was banned from running for president in 2024 by Venezuela’s Supreme Court. And after Maduro declared victory in an election widely condemned by observers, she has lived largely in hiding, making only a few brief public appearances, due to the threats to her safety posed by the Maduro regime. 

Who chooses the Nobel Peace Prize winner? 
The recipient is chosen by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, made up of five adults elected by Norway’s parliament, the Storting. Each member is elected for a six-year term and can be reelected. 

Nominations for the prize can only be submitted by qualified nominators, who include members of national governments, heads of state, officials with international peace organizations, and university professors. Former recipients can also submit nominations, but nobody can nominate themselves. 

How do they decide on a winner? 
This year, there were 338 nominations for the peace prize by the January deadline, and in March, the committee prepared a shortlist. On Monday, the committee convened beneath a portrait of founder Alfred Nobel to share “coffee and pleasantries,” said the BBC. Proceedings always begin with a “reading of the criteria for the prize, enshrined in Nobel’s will from 1895,” before debate gets underway behind closed doors. 

“We discuss, we argue; there’s a high temperature,” committee chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes said to the broadcaster. “But also, of course, we are civilized, and we try to make a consensus-based decision every year.”

A woman falls to her knees as 5,000 soldiers arrive to disperse protesters blocking the Pan-American Highway in Ecuador’s Calderón parish. Led by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, farmers and other civilians oppose the government’s decision to end the diesel subsidy amid rising fuel prices.
Dolores Ochoa / AP

They say a trip to the desert may cure what ails you. And many therapists have long recommended that patients head to the Southern California desert, specifically the Greater Palm Springs area. Here, you can build your own wellness adventure. 

Savor a full spa experience
The beauty of JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert (pictured above), besides the perfectly manicured grounds, lake, sparkling pools and mountain views, is that guests never have to leave — everything they might want or need is on-site. Bonus: Anyone who books a treatment receives access to the rest of the day spa, including the aromatic hammam, Finnish sauna and state-of-the-art Wellness Lounge.

Absorb a sound bath at the Integratron
The Integratron in Landers, topped by a 38-foot-high wooden dome, looks like a planetarium, but domes are not always what they seem. In the 1950s, ufologist George Van Tassel built the structure for time travel. These days, the Integratron is open for sound baths, an immersive experience said to reduce pain, stress and anxiety and promote introspection. 

Sync with nature on a hike
For many, wellness involves spending time walking in the great outdoors. Opportunities are plentiful in Palm Springs, where there are hundreds of miles of trails for all skill levels. Indian Canyons is “renowned” for its “diverse” paths, including “easy nature walks” and “steep climbs,” said Locale Magazine. During the spring, winter runoff from the mountains fills the streams, and you can hear the waterfalls in Palm Canyon.