German Chancellor Angela Merkel tipped to win Nobel Peace Prize over refugee crisis

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Angela Merkel said to have a 'good chance' of winning Nobel Peace Prize
She is tipped by many - including Germany's influential daily paper, Bild
This is due to her response to the migrant crisis and situation in Ukraine
Merkel has opened Germany's doors to the growing number of refugees
A total of 276 nominations have been submitted for the 2015 peace prize

By Sophie Jane Evans for MailOnline and Afp

Published: 07:18 EST, 2 October 2015 | Updated: 04:21 EST, 3 October 2015

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been tipped to win this year's Nobel Peace Prize after opening her country's doors to the growing number of refugees fleeing from war and persecution.

Ahead of the Nobel prize season, which begins on Monday, Germany's influential Bild newspaper declared the 61-year-old politician had 'a good chance' of being crowned winner of the award.

This, it said, is due to her response to both Europe's migrant crisis and the situation in Ukraine.

'Reasons: her actions in the Ukraine crisis and the refugee policies,' the daily newspaper said.

Winner? German Chancellor Angela Merkel (pictured centre) has been tipped to win this year's Nobel Peace Prize after opening her country's doors to the growing number of refugees fleeing from war and persecution

The newspaper's tip comes amid speculation that Merkel's attitude toward migrants fleeing from their home countries to her own could be recognised by the prestigious jury next week.

The first Nobel to be announced will be the medicine prize on Monday.

The jury in Stockholm reveals the winner or winners around 11:30 am (0930 GMT).

But most of the build-up typically swirls around who will take home the literature and peace prizes.

A total of 276 nominations have been submitted for this year's peace prize.

This is two short of the record 278 last year.

The Norwegian Nobel Institute never discloses the list, leaving amateurs and experts to resort to a guessing game ahead of the October 9 announcement.

Kristian Berg Harpviken, director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), is one of a few experts who has the audacity to make a bet.

Crisis: Ahead of the Nobel prize season, which begins on Monday, Germany's influential Bild newspaper declared that 61-year-old Merkel had 'a good chance' of being crowned winner of the award. Above, a refugee screams for help after she and her daughter fell into the water on the Greek island of Lesbos on Friday

Refugees: Merkel could be victorious due to her response to both Europe's migrant crisis and the situation in Ukraine, the newspaper said. Above, a refugee is comforted by relatives after arriving in Greece from Turkey

Safety: Two boys warm themselves by a fire while other migrants and refugees walk towards the transit camp for refugees near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija

Comfort: One of the young boys, wearing a thin jacket, jeans and black trainers, holds his hands over the fire

And according to him 'Angela Merkel will get the Peace Prize,' he told reporters in Oslo this week.

In his annual shortlist of possible winners, Merkel is followed by the Colombian government and FARC rebels for their peace process, and Putin-critical Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta for its perseverance in independent reporting.

'Angela Merkel is the one who really took moral leadership and who turned the debate on refugee issues in a European context entirely around,' Harpviken said.

Despite opposition from other EU leaders and even a rebellion among her domestic allies, 'she stood her ground', said this expert, who however has yet to accurately predict a peace prize winner.

Merkel has held fast to the mantra 'we will manage this' in the face of an expected up to one million new arrivals in Germany this year, although in mid-September, Berlin decided to temporarily reintroduce passport checks on its borders, while still allowing migrants into the country.

A difficult trip: A woman is helped off a dinghi as refugees and migrants arrive at the Greek island of Lesbos

Desperate: A woman and man clutch hands as they arrive on Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea in a desperate bid to get into Europe

Struggles: A young girl wearing a life jacket struggles to get out of the choppy water as the migrants arrived on an overcrowded dinghy

Help: An Afghan refugee is helped off the boat, which is believed to have crossed from the Turkish coast

Sticking together: A family of refugees warm themselves by a huge fire set up on the beach upon arrival on Lesbos

A man celebrates by lying on a mound of life jackets after he arrived with the other refugees on the island

The refugee crisis also topped the list at Nobeliana.com, a website run by leading Norwegian Nobel historians.

Its top prediction was a shared prize to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) - which has already won the Peace Prize twice, in 1954 and 1981 - and Eritrean Catholic priest Mussie Zerai, who has helped thousands of refugees cross the Mediterranean.

Nobeliana also had Novaya Gazeta in second spot. 'Freedom of expression is under pressure in Russia and a media (organisation) has never won the Peace Prize,' Nobeliana wrote.

Angela Merkel is the one who really took moral leadership and who turned the debate on refugee issues in a European context entirely around

Kristian Berg Harpviken, director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo

Other names and organisations circulating in the run-up to the announcement include Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and his US counterpart John Kerry for the Iran nuclear deal, the International Campaign for the Abolition of Nuclear Arms, Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege who has treated thousands of women brutalised by rape in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and Japan's pacifist Article 9 Association.

Another recurring name was Pope Francis, to whom the online betting site Unibet gave the best odds at 9/2, followed by Mussie Zerai at 5/1 and Novaya Gazeta at 6/1.

The 2014 prize went to Pakistani girls' education campaigner Malala Yousafzai and another advocate of child rights, India's Kailash Satyarthi.

The other prize that generates much speculation is the literature prize, with the names of Belarussian writer Svetlana Alexievich, Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong'o, and US novelist Joyce Carol Oates swirling most frequently in Stockholm's literary circles.

Others include South Korean poet Ko Un, Syrian poet Adonis, Japanese best-selling novelist Haruki Murakami, Albanian writer Ismail Kadare, and Hungarian author Peter Nadas.

Facing eviction: A Syrian woman and her children wait in a tent as migrants and refugees are evicted by authorities from a camp at the Porte de Saint-Ouen in Paris early on Friday morning

Preparing to leave: Migrants and refugees prepare to leave the makeshift camp after being evicted by police

Discussion: Merkel is attending a bilateral meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, today alongside other leaders to discuss eastern Ukraine. Above, she speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the palace

Ursula Le Guin, a US science fiction writer, has also appeared on betting sites and been suggested as a possible laureate by some critics.

She would be the first in her genre to win the prestigious award.

Americans have not fared well lately with the Swedish Academy: Toni Morrison was the last US writer to win, in 1993. 'The Academy has demonstrated an aversion to American literature ... I wouldn't protest if (Philip) Roth or Oates were to win,' said Bjorn Wiman, culture editor at Sweden's paper of reference Dagens Nyheter.

Last year, the honour went to France's Patrick Modiano.

After the medicine prize kicks off the Nobel season, the physics prize on Tuesday and the chemistry prize on Wednesday will follow.

This year's Nobel laureates will receive eight million Swedish kronor (around $950,000, 855,000 euros or £630,000) per award, to be shared if there are several winners in one discipline.