Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet

Punters are putting their money on this year's Nobel Peace Prize going to Greek islanders who have opened their hearts and homes to hundreds of thousands of migrants crossing the Mediterranean.

The award will be announced Friday in Oslo, Norway, and as usual the Norwegian Nobel Committee isn't dropping any hints about its choice.

Pope Francis has been named the winner of the International Charlemagne Prize, awarded annually by the German city of Aachen for contributions to European unity.

The prize committee said Dec. 23 that the pontiff had sent "a message of hope and encouragement" at a time in which "many citizens in Europe are seeking orientation," news agency Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA) reported.

Turkish scientist Aziz Sancar, the 2015 Nobel laureate in chemistry, received his prize at a ceremony held in Stockholm, on a day that Tunisia's National Dialogue Quartet were also presented their Nobel Peace Prizes in Oslo. 

The Tunisian national dialogue quartet, a coalition of civil society organisations, has won the 2015 Nobel peace prize “for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011″.

Tunisia's National Dialogue Quartet won the Nobel Peace Prize on  Oct. 9 for its contribution to building democracy after the Jasmine Revolution in 2011, the Nobel Committee said. 

The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2015, the Nobel Committee has said.

The winner has been singled out for its "decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy" in the post-Arab Spring environment.