Elon Musk is nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Elon Musk has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as a 'stout proponent for free speech', joining conservationists, journalists, religious leaders and political activists in an exclusive group of the world's foremost actors for change.

Marius Nilsen, MP for Norway's libertarian Progress Party, claimed to have put forward the X owner and Tesla founder for his 'adamant defense of dialogue, free speech and [enabling] the possibility to express one's views' in a 'continuously more polarized world'.

Nilsen also credited Musk's satellite internet constellation Starlink, operated by SpaceX, in his decision, noting its use in Ukraine for resistance fighters to 'communicate, coordinate and withstand the attack from Russia' as the war rages on.

Last week, Starlink won a license for similar use in Israel and parts of Gaza, with timely and diverse information from the conflict zone proving evermore challenging to gather.

'The multitude of tech companies Musk has founded, owns or runs, aimed at bettering societies, increasing knowledge of both earth and space, in addition to enabling communication and connectivity globally... has helped make the world a more connected and safer place,' Nilsen said.

The award accepts nominations from anyone who falls within certain criteria, including work in academia or government - and past recipients of prizes. A shortlist will then be drawn together through March before judges review the nominees for announcement in October.

The winner of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize is selected by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, an anonymous group of five appointed by the country's parliament.

Nominators are expected to submit their entries by January 31 for consideration, before a shortlist is prepared in March.

The entries are then considered in an adviser review in the summer before judges can announce the majority vote in October. A Nobel Prize award ceremony is expected to follow at the end of the year.

Mr Nilsen revealed to DailyMail.com today that he had entered Musk for his commitment to free speech and global connectivity.

His Progress Party identifies itself with classical-liberal views, espoused by the likes of John Locke and Adam Smith. Some have described the party as standing for both 'conservative liberalism' and 'right-wing populism'.

The nomination ranks Musk among prominent activists vying for this year's Peace Prize.

Nominees include British environmentalist David Attenborough, Australian activist Julian Assange, Pope Francis, UN chief António Guterres, Palestinian journalist Hind Khoudary, NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg, Colombian president Gustavo Petro and former US president Donald Trump.

The prize is one of five Nobel Prizes set up in the name of Swedish inventor and industrialist Alfred Nobel in 1901.

The most recent recipient is Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian human rights activist, 'for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all'.

In 2022, Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski, Memorial and the Center for Civil Liberties shared the award.

The organisation said: 'The Peace Prize laureates represent civil society in their home countries. They have for many years promoted the right to criticise power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens.

'They have made an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right abuses and the abuse of power. Together they demonstrate the significance of civil society for peace and democracy'.