Thousands of people, from members of parliaments worldwide to past winners of the Prize, can propose candidates.
Norwegian lawmakers have won the award every year since 2014, with the exception of 2019, including one of last year’s two winners, journalist Maria Ressa, according to Reuters.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which chooses the winners, does not disclose the nominations and has kept secrets for 50 years, the names of the non-winning candidates and the names of those who proposed the candidates.
But some of those who choose the candidates, such as the Norwegian legislators, disclose their choices.
Sir David Attenborough, 95, is best known for his television programs showing nature in the world, including Life on Earth and Blue Planet.
It was jointly nominated by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, which assesses the state of biodiversity worldwide for policy makers.
The Corona virus has been the focus of the world’s attention for the past two years, which is why the World Health Organization, charged with the task of combating the pandemic, was nominated again for the award this year.
Svyatlana Tsykhanuskaya, a Belarusian opposition exile living in exile, was also nominated for the second year in a row for her “unremitting and courageous, peaceful work” for democracy and freedom in her country, according to parliamentarian Harik Elvins.
Other candidates unveiled by Norwegian lawmakers include imprisoned Russian politician Alexei Navalny, the International Criminal Court in The Hague, NATO and Iranian human rights activist Masih Alinejad.
The winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced in October.