The 2009 prize went to Barack Obama " for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples " . The award , given just nine months into Obama 's first term as president , received criticism that it was undeserved , premature and politically motivated . Obama himself said that he felt " surprised " by the win and did not consider himself worthy of the award , but nonetheless accepted it . Obama 's peace prize was called a " stunning surprise " by '' The New York Times '' . Much of the surprise arose from the fact that nominations for the award had been due by 1 February 2009 , only 12 days after Obama took office . In an October 2011 interview , Thorbjørn Jagland , chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee , was asked whether Obama had lived up to the prize , and replied :
2009 prize
2009 Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Prize controversies