A record 241 candidates have been nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, the Nobel Institute in Oslo said on Tuesday, with WikiLeaks and people linked to revolutions in the Arab world known to be in the running.

"It increases almost every year," Nobel Institute director Geir Lundestad said, pointing out that in 2010, the record-breaking number had been 237 candidates. The names of nominees are kept secret by the institute for 50 years, but the Nobel Institute revealed that the list this year is made up of 53 organisations and 188 individuals.