Kathmandu. The names of the International Space Station, US President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, emergency responders from Sudan and child rights activists from Ukraine are being discussed as possible contenders for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

This year, 287 candidates have been nominated for the prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee will announce the winner on October 9. Haakon Jerlau, director of the Peace Research Institute in Oslo, said the space station is a rare symbol of cooperation between different countries at a time when international cooperation is weakening.

The list of potential contenders also includes Ukrainian child rights activist Mykola Kuleba, Save the Children, Sudan’s emergency response cell and the Committee to Protect Journalists. The International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court are also doing the rounds.

This year’s award will be announced against the backdrop of ongoing wars and conflicts in Sudan, Ukraine, Yemen, Iran and the Middle East. Jody Williams, winner of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, has expressed hope that the award should be given to women. Among the women contenders in the discussion are Gaza surgeon Sara al-Sakka and Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The Nobel Prize series will begin on Monday in Medicine, while the Peace Prize will be announced on Friday. This year’s prize money is 12 million Swedish kroner.