Other nominees include the European Union, former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya Sardinas, Russian rights group Memorial, Afghan rights advocate Sima Samar and the Internet. That's right -- the Internet as a whole has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
The controversy surrounding WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is sure to make the discussion around the nomination heated, to say the least. Assange, we learned several days ago, is to be extradited to Sweden (ironic location, given the Nobel nod) for prosecution brought about by sexual assault charges from two women.
Still, Assange's legal troubles stand separately from the work WikiLeaks has done in releasing information to the world -- actions that have sometimes put the organization in extremely hot water, politically speaking. In fact, the organization pleaded with American media to ask conservative politicos and pundits to stop inciting Assange's murder.
Geir Lundestad, a non-voting member of the Nobel panel, told Reuters, "Looking at the long term, we can say interest in the prize is strong and growing along with the number of candidates."