Nobel Peace Prize: Merkel, Blogger Or Pope?

Pope Francis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and a Saudi blogger are among those who are thought to be among the contenders for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has given no clues, but pundits and gamblers have been speculating on who the likely candidates are.

Ahead of the announcement being made at 10am, here are some of those who have been mentioned.

:: Angela Merkel

The German Chancellor was nominated for her role in trying to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine earlier this year, but she could still be considered for subsequent actions.

She pledged to open her country's borders in September to refugees fleeing Syria and other war-torn areas, a move that has earned her praise and criticism in equal measure.

:: Pope Francis

He is a notable champion of the poor, opening up the Vatican to those less fortunate and demanding a greater distribution of the world's wealth.

Francis' involvement in the thawing of relations between the US and Cuba has further improved his peace-making credentials.

His recent circular letter to churches in which he demanded a new world order to protect the environment and the Earth's most vulnerable people, has helped efforts to boost global warming.

However, the Pope might not accept the prize.

He has either returned or given to someone else most of the honours he has received, although he would probably accept the money and donate it to charity.

:: Raif Badawi

The Saudi blogger was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for insulting Islam after criticising the kingdom’s powerful clerics on his liberal blogs.

Rights groups say the case against him forms part of a wider crackdown on free speech.

Other free speech advocates that have been nominated include a Danish newspaper editor involved in the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad 10 years ago and the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, which has criticised the country's government and published investigations into corruption.

:: John Kerry and Javad Zarif

The US Secretary of State and his Iranian counterpart negotiated face-to-face to ensure a deal was reached on Iran's nuclear programme.

Tariq Rauf, director of the Swedish peace institute SIPRI and a former nuclear inspector, said the deal was the most important multilateral agreement for decades.

:: Father Mussie Zerai

The Eritrean Catholic priest has been nominated for his role in helping distressed people travelling from Africa to Europe, coordinating rescue missions with the Italian and Maltese coastguards.