There are 273 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize this year, the second-highest number of nominees ever, and the laureate(s) will be announced Friday before the prize ceremony in December. Here are some notable candidates for this year’s award:

Pope Francis : Nominated for his tireless work in bringing attention to the marginalized and terminally ill Catholic Church



: Nominated for his tireless work in bringing attention to the marginalized and terminally ill Catholic Church Mussie Zerai : The Eritrean priest and humanitarian brings some strong stats to the table with over 5,000 refugees saved and 5.2 peace-above-replacement value



: The Eritrean priest and humanitarian brings some strong stats to the table with over 5,000 refugees saved and 5.2 peace-above-replacement value Denis Mukwege : The gynecologist has been working to treat rape victims in Africa, which is really important, but the peace prize already did a women thing last year, so the odds are against him



: The gynecologist has been working to treat rape victims in Africa, which is really important, but the peace prize already did a women thing last year, so the odds are against him Angela Merkel : Could enslave rest of Europe but has chosen not to



: Could enslave rest of Europe but has chosen not to Juan Manuel Santos and Timoleon Jimenez : Favored by many oddsmakers, the Colombian president and FARC guerilla leader are backed by a high-profile $2 million Nobel Prize Award billboard and print promotional campaign



: Favored by many oddsmakers, the Colombian president and FARC guerilla leader are backed by a high-profile $2 million Nobel Prize Award billboard and print promotional campaign Dan Quinn : Has already restored order and discipline to the Atlanta Falcons locker room



: Has already restored order and discipline to the Atlanta Falcons locker room The Nobel Peace Prize Committee : The five-person committee was anonymously nominated for their tireless, outstanding work on behalf of the Nobel Foundation



: The five-person committee was anonymously nominated for their tireless, outstanding work on behalf of the Nobel Foundation PeaceMaker 2000 : While still dealing with issues of overheating and runtime errors, the battery-powered mechanized peacekeeping unit has contributed to a 15 percent drop in conflict in several controlled laboratory experiments



: While still dealing with issues of overheating and runtime errors, the battery-powered mechanized peacekeeping unit has contributed to a 15 percent drop in conflict in several controlled laboratory experiments Lilly White: The noted Phoenix-area 2-month-old is singlehandedly responsible for saving the crumbling relationship of her parents