Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela all have two things in common.

They are prominent individuals in history, and they have all won the Nobel Peace Prize.

This year, Vermont woman Jody Williams, an activist who has headed an international campaign to ban land mines, has joined the ranks of those past Nobel Peace winners.

Williams was chosen over a pool of nominees which has been thought to include United States envoy Richard Holbrooke, who issued the Dayton accord that bought peace to Bosnia, and jailed Chinese dissidents Wei Jingsheng and Wang Dan.

Williams and her campaign didn’t make headlines until Princess Diana joined in support of banning land mines, which kill or injure 26,000 people a year. Attention to Williams’ campaign grew last month when more than 90 countries banded together to sign a treaty that would eliminate anti-personnel mines.

Williams shook hands with each country’s representative immediately after each of them signed the treaty. It was her campaign which initially brought about that historic moment.

However, for an individual like Williams, who isn’t an officially renowned policy-maker or a household name, winning the Nobel Peace Prize is a worthy accomplishment.

It is quite complimentary to the cause which she intends to continue until all countries have banned the deadly explosives.

Although others who were considered for the award were just as deserving of the honor, it is especially gratifying to see the Nobel Committee select someone who has been an activist in building public awareness about the threats toward human lives.