A section of Nobel's will had indicated that the prize should go to an individual who had worked to reduce or eliminate standing armies, or directly to promote peace conferences, which made Passy a natural choice for his peace work.
Nobels testamente havde pointeret, at prisen skulle gå til en person, som havde arbejdet for at minimere eller nedruste hærstyrker og direkte stået for fredskonferencer – hvilket gjorde Passy til et naturligt valg på grund af hans fredsarbejde.