Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has won the Nobel Peace Prize for 2017.

The Norwegian committee said it had given the award "to draw attention to the catastrophic human consequences of any use of nuclear weapons" and for the campaign's "groundbreaking" work to draw up a treaty banning the weapons.

The Geneva-based group beat off competition which was thought to include Pope Francis, the Syrian White Helmets, and the UN High Commission for Refugees.

The Nobel committee hailed ICAN's work as giving "momentum and new vigour" to stop nuclear proliferation and encourage debate on disarmament.

The Nobel Peace Prize has been given out since 1901, with a total of 98 individuals and organisations honoured with the prestigious international award since them.

Beatrice Fihn, the executive director of ICAN, said the award was "a bit overwhelming" and "a great honour".

She dedicated their award to activists and nuclear attack survivors as she called on all countries to renounce the weapons.

"This is a time of great global tension where fear and rhetoric could easily lead us to unspeakable horror," she said.

The spectre of nuclear conflict looms large once more. If there is ever a time for states to declare their opposition to nuclear weapons, that moment is now."

Nobel Committee members sorted through more than 300 nominations this year, it has been revealed.

Among the previous winners were Martin Luther King Jr, Malala Yousafzai, Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela.