[3] The announcement was made on 7 October at a press conference at the Nobel Peace Center, and the formal award ceremony took place on 10 December at the Oslo City Hall.

The Nobel Committee hopes that all parties will take their share of responsibility and participate constructively in the upcoming peace talks.Santos was first informed of the prize by his son in the pre-dawn of the day of the announcement.

[18][19] The Venezuelan human rights organization Foro Penal, which provides legal assistance pro bono to people subject of arbitrary detentions and their relatives in the country, was nominated by a group of Spanish congressmen.

"[25] Syria Civil Defence, tweeting as "The White Helmets", congratulated Santos and wished for peace for the people of Colombia,[26] An hour later the Twitter account shared an image of a destroyed building with the text "At the time of the @NobelPrize announcement, @SyriaCivilDef center targeted in Hama.

"[27] Álvaro Uribe, the leader of the movement to oppose the referendum and Santos' predecessor as Colombian president, congratulated him but also stated “I want him to lead to change these democracy-damaging peace accords.”[28][2] Ciarán Norris, writing in The Guardian, argued that awarding the prize solely to Santos, not to the White Helmets nor shared with a FARC leader, was a deliberate choice to lend its power in a way that might have the greatest direct impact in achieving peace.