Hear the shock in the audience, man, now the pressure is on.

Initial reaction to the award was mixed, with some critics stating that the award was premature, while others hailed the decision.

Obama's winning the peace prize was largely unanticipated and called a "stunning surprise" by The New York Times. In a press conference following the award announcement, reporters noted that Obama had been the president for around nine months, and had made only some progress in achieving his ambitious international agenda. Jagland expressed the hope that the prize would add momentum to Obama's efforts, while saying that it had not been awarded for "what may happen in the future. We are awarding Obama for what he has done in the past year. And we are hoping this may contribute a little bit for what he is trying to do."

The prize created widespread controversy around the world for having been awarded so soon after the beginning of President Obama's term, with many alleging that it was awarded for his beliefs and promises rather than for his actual accomplishments.

Reaction within the United States was mixed to negative. Liberal columnist Peter Beinart called it a "farce", saying, "the president has done nothing to deserve the peace prize."

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