A petition calling for nomination of Greek islanders, who help save thousands of refugees, for the Nobel Peace Prize gained over 293,000 signatures from around the world on Sunday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the recent data of the EU border agency Frontex, some 880,000 of refugees arrived in Greece in 2015, while the Greek islands of Lesbos, Chios and Samos saw the biggest number of people coming to their shores by sea.

“Ordinary residents of Greek islands and other volunteers have been on the front lines of Europe’s refugee crisis for months… For their compassion and courage, for treating those in danger with humanity, and for setting an example for the rest of the world to follow, we citizens from around the world, nominate these brave women and men for a Nobel Peace Prize,” the petition named “Nobel Peace Prize for Greek Islanders” said.

The nomination deadline is February 1.

Europe is struggling to find a solution to a massive refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing conflict-torn countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Frontex detected over 1.83 million illegal border crossings in 2015, in contrast to some 283,000 in 2014.