Fritt Ord Award consists of two prizes awarded by the Fritt Ord Foundation (Stiftelsen Fritt Ord). Two prizes are awarded in support of freedom of speech and freedom of expression; the Fritt Ord Award (Norwegian : Fritt Ords pris) and the Fritt Ord Honorary Award (Norwegian : Fritt Ords honnør). These are awards are distributed annually during the month of May in connection with the anniversary of the liberation of Norway at the end of World War II in May 1945. Prizes are awarded to one or more persons or organizations that have contributed to areas where the organization works, especially in the work of freedom of expression. In addition to a monetary reward, the award includes a statue by sculptor Nils Aas. [1] [2]
Fritt Ord Foundation was founded on 7 June 1974 by Jens Henrik Nordlie (1910–1996) who served as CEO of Narvesen from 1957 to 1975, corporate director Finn Skedsmo and jurist Jens Christian Hauge (1915–2006) . The foundation was funded by Narvesen, the Norwegian based chain of convenience stores and news outlets. [3] [4] [5]
These are the laureates of the Fritt Ord Award: [6]
These are the laureates of the Fritt Ord Honorary Award: [11]
Anders Bratholm was a Norwegian professor and legal scholar.
Hans Børli was a Norwegian poet and writer, who besides his writings worked as a lumberjack all his life.
Fritt Ord is a Norwegian private foundation, whose aim is to support freedom of expression and a free press. It was established on 7 June 1974 by Narvesen Kioskkompani's leaders Jens Henrik Nordlie and Finn Skedsmo as well as the lawyer Jens Christian Hauge.
Stein Mehren was a Norwegian poet, essayist and playwright. He made his literary debut as poet with Gjennom stillheten en natt (1960). He wrote more than fifty books, mainly poetry.
Odd Kvaal Pedersen was a Norwegian journalist, author and translator.
The Nansen Academy – Norwegian Humanistic Academy is a folk high school in Lillehammer, Norway.
Hans Fredrik Dahl is a Norwegian historian, journalist and media scholar, best known in the English-speaking world for his biography of Vidkun Quisling, a Nazi collaborationist and Minister President for Norway during the Second World War. His research is focused on media history, the totalitarian ideologies of the 20th century, and the Second World War. He served as culture editor of Dagbladet 1978–1985 and has been a board member of the paper since 1996. He was a professor at the University of Oslo 1988–2009, and is now a professor emeritus.
In 1910 Haakon VII serves his sixth year as King of Norway. On 1 February Wollert Konow takes over as Prime Minister after Gunnar Knudsen, who has held this position since 1908.
Torolf Elster was a Norwegian newspaper and radio journalist, magazine editor, novelist, crime fiction writer and writer of short stories. He was Director-General of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) from 1972 to 1981.
Harald Noreng was a Norwegian literary researcher and lexicographer.
Edvard Freydar Beyer was a Norwegian literary historian, literary critic, and professor at the University of Oslo from 1958 to 1990.
Andreas Hauge was a Norwegian priest, educator, editor and hymn writer. He also served as a representative in the Norwegian Parliament.
Polhøgda is the home of the Fridtjof Nansen Institute. It was originally built as the private home of Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen. The manor home’s architecture is Roman Revival, and the former estate lies between Lysaker and Fornebu in Bærum, Norway.
Arve Solstad was a Norwegian newspaper editor.
Per Edgar Kokkvold is a Norwegian journalist, former editor and secretary-general of the Norwegian Press Association, and current chair of the Norwegian Broadcasting Council.
Johan Herman Vogt was a Norwegian social economist, author and journal editor.
Jens Henrik Nordlie was a Norwegian military officer, resistance fighter from World War II and businessperson. He participated in the Norwegian Campaign in 1940, and was a member of Milorg's leadership in 1941. He worked for the Norwegian High Command in London from 1943, leading one of the two sections of department 4. He contributed to the post-war investigation committee, Undersøkelseskommisjonen av 1945, where he wrote the appendix on the fighting in Norway in spring 1940. He was operative leader of the clandestine Stay behind in Norway. He was CEO of the company Narvesen from 1957 to 1975, and a co-founder of the organization Fritt Ord.
Harald Ludvig Tveterås was a Norwegian librarian and author.
Kari Vogt is a Norwegian religious historian. She has written several books, and been a board member of the Norwegian Academy of Literature and Freedom of Expression, and of the Norwegian chapter of PEN International.