The NATO military alliance has been announced as the recipient of the International Award of the Peace of Westphalia in 2026.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is to accept the award on behalf of the trans-Atlantic defence alliance at Münster City Hall, the organizers announced in the western German city on Wednesday.
The prize’s title relates to two peace treaties signed in 1648 which ended a series of wars in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648.
Former recipients of the award, which is handed out by the Economic Society for Westphalia and Lippe (WWL) every two years, include former German Chancellors Helmut Kohl and Helmut Schmidt, the crew of the International Space Station (ISS), Jordan’s King Abdullah II and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The late Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer received a special award in 2025.
In times of global uncertainty, NATO creates reliability, promotes partnership and enables peace through stability, said WWL chairman Reinhard Zinkann.
“Under the leadership of Mark Rutte, it shows that military strength and peacekeeping are not contradictory, but mutually dependent,” Zinkann explained.
Since taking office in 2024, the Dutchman has made a decisive contribution as a leader to ensuring that the NATO alliance acts in a united and peace-oriented manner, according to the jury.
In a statement, the jury expressly praised NATO’s long-standing peacekeeping missions, such as in Kosovo, and NATO’s support for Ukraine.
In response to the announcement, Hendrik Wüst, the premier of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, said that the award underlined the importance of the defence alliance.
“NATO does indispensable work for global security and is a guarantor of our personal freedom,” Wüst asserted. Especially in times of Russian aggression, it is “an indispensable alliance for peace in the world,” he added.
In addition to the main prize, a youth prize is also awarded. In 2026, the youth network “socioMovens” will be recognized. The organization has been organising regular projects with young people in Central and Eastern Europe since 2013.