Episode summaryIn this episode, the team explores what prizes are actually for. Starting with a discussion of FIFA’s much-mocked “Peace Prize” and the longer pedigree of the Nobel Peace Prize, they examine how prizes gain prestige, whether they genuinely incentivise good behaviour and how they can shape status, motivation and public recognition.The conversation moves from global peace prizes to personal experiences of winning school and university awards, before turning to the deeper question: what makes a prize valuable? Is it age, scarcity, continuity, the calibre of previous winners or the significance of what it rewards?The episode ends with the proposal of a new award: the Aleph Peace Prize, aimed not at symbolic virtue but at people or institutions that have plausibly reduced the risk of actual conflict.In this episodeWhy FIFA’s “Peace Prize” is seen as absurd and performativeWhat the Nobel Peace Prize was originally meant to rewardControversial Nobel winners, including Henry Kissinger and Barack ObamaHow Nobel Peace Prize winners tend to fall into categories such as:peace process participantshuman rights advocatesinstitution buildershumanitarian organisationsWhether prizes are mainly about:incentivesrecognitioncredentialisationrewardWhy prestige depends on factors like age, continuity, scarcity and past winnersThe idea that too many prizes can dilute the value of all prizesPersonal reflections on school and university prizes, and how recognition can affect confidence and effortA proposed alternative peace prize focused on real-world conflict reduction