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 Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

and freedom of expression; the Fritt Ord Award () and the Fritt Ord Honorary Award (). 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 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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. Fritt Ord Foundation was founded on 7 June 1974 by Jens Henrik Nordlie (1910–1996) who was CEO of Narvesen from 1957 to 1975, corporate director Finn Skedsmo and jurist

Jens Christian Hauge Jens Christian Hauge (15 May 1915 – 30 October 2006) was a Norwegian lawyer and leader in the World War II resistance—and one of the two incumbent Milorg Council members in May 1945. Njølstad p.125 He served as Minister of Defence from 1 ...

(1915–2006). The foundation was funded by Narvesen, the Norwegian based chain of

convenience stores A convenience store, convenience shop, bakkal, bodega, corner store, corner shop, superette or mini-mart is a small retail store that stocks a range of everyday items such as convenience food, groceries, beverages, tobacco products, lottery t ...

and news outlets.

Fritt Ord Award

These are the laureates of the Fritt Ord Award: *1976 : Johan Vogt. *1977 :

Henrik Groth Henrik Johan Florentz Groth (11 October 1903 – 10 August 1983) was a Norwegian publisher and essayist, who was managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corpo ...

. *1978 : Kim Friele. *1979 :

Stein Mehren Stein Mehren (16 May 1935 – 28 July 2017) 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.

. *1980 : Andrey Sakharov. *1982 :

Lech Walesa Lech is an English word referring to lecherous Lascivious behavior is sexual behavior or conduct that is considered crude and offensive, or contrary to local moral or other standards of appropriate behavior. In this sense, "lascivious" is similar ...

and Hallvard Rieber-Mohn. *1983 :

Kjetil Bang-Hansen Kjetil Bang-Hansen (born 16 May 1940) is a Norwegian actor, dancer, stage producer and theatre director. Early and personal life Bang-Hansen was born in Oslo as the son of writer Odd Bang-Hansen and physician Elise Aas. He married dancer and ch ...

. *1984 : Nordnorsk forfatterlag. *1985 : Den illegale presses forening. *1986 : Magli Elster and Torolf Elster. *1987 : Nansen Academy. *1988 : Leo Eitinger. *1989 :

Erik Bye Erik Erikssønn Bye (March 1, 1926 – October 13, 2004) was a versatile Norwegian-American journalist, artist, author, film actor, folk singer and radio and television personality. He was one of the 20th century's most well-known and popular r ...

. *1990 : Charta 77. *1991 : Nordland Akademi for Kunst og Vitenskap. *1992 : Annette Thommessen. *1993 : Rolv Ryssdal. *1994 : William Nygaard. *1995 : Hanne Sophie Greve. *1996 :

Arne Skouen Arne Skouen (18 October 1913 – 24 May 2003) was a Norwegian journalist, author, film director and film producer. Biography Arne Skouen was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. His parents were Peder Nikolai Skouen (1883-1978) and Jenn ...

. *1997 : Kåre Willoch. *1998 : Alexander Nikitin. *1999 : NRK P2. *2000 : Thomas Chr. Wyller. *2001 :

Nils Christie Nils Christie (24 February 1928 – 27 May 2015) was a Norwegian sociologist and criminologist. He was a professor of criminology at the Faculty of Law, University of Oslo. Considered a leading figure of his field, Christie is one of two Norw ...

. *2002 : Aslam Ahsan and Shabana Rehman. *2003 : Berge Furre. *2004 : Unni Wikan. *2005 : Nina Witoszek. *2006 : Bjørgulv Braanen. *2007 :

Terje Tvedt Terje Tvedt (born 24 August 1951) is a Norwegian academic, author and documentary film maker. Tvedt is presently a professor at the Department of Geography, University of Bergen, and Professor in Global History, University of Oslo, Norway. He ...

. *2008 : Per-Yngve Monsen. *2009 : Nina Karin Monsen. *2010 : Bushra Ishaq and Abid Q. Raja. *2011 : Anders Sømme Hammer. *2012 : Sara Azmeh Rasmussen. *2013 : Per Fugelli. *2014 : Anne Sender. *2015 : Robin Schaefer and Jan Erik Skog. *2016 :

Robert Mood Lieutenant General Robert Mood (born 8 December 1958) is a former President of Norwegian Red Cross and a retired Norwegian Army officer. He is the former head of the United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS), Inspector General of the N ...

*2017 :

Dag og Tid ''Dag og Tid'' () is a national weekly newspaper in Norway that uses the Nynorsk standard of the Norwegian language. ''Dag og Tid'' was founded in 1962. Contrary to most other Norwegian newspapers, its circulation has recently increased signific ...

. *2018 : Harald Amdal, Eirik Linaker Berglund, Thor Harald Henriksen and Kenneth Hætta *2019 : Natur og Ungdom and

Greta Thunberg Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg (; born 3January 2003) is a Swedish climate activist, climate and political activist initially known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action to climate change mitigation, mitigate the effec ...

*2020 : Deeyah Khan. *2021 : Jan Grue, Bjørn Hatterud and Olaug Nilssen. *2022 :

Meduza ''Meduza'' (Russian: Медуза, named after the Greek goddess Medusa) is a Russian- and English-language independent news website, headquartered in Riga, Latvia. It was founded in 2014 by a group of former employees of the then-independent ...

. *2023 : .

Fritt Ord Honorary Award

These are the laureates of the Fritt Ord Honorary Award: *1979 : Hans Heiberg *1980 : Philip Houm,

Hermod Skånland Hermod Skånland (15 June 1925 – 16 April 2011) was a Norway, Norwegian economist and civil servant, who served as the Norges Bank#List of Central Bank Governors, Governor of the Norges Bank, Central Bank of Norway from 1985 to 1993. Biography ...

, Anne Ma Ødegaard *1981 : ''none'' *1982 : Hans Børli *1983 : ''none'' *1984 : Arvid Hanssen, Lars Roar Langslet, Alf Steinsøy, Anne-Lisa Amadou *1985 : Johs. Andenæs, Carsten Smith, Dag Sørli *1986 :

Åge Rønning Åge Rønning (4 October 1925 – 31 January 1991) was a Norwegian writer and journalist. Biography Åge Rønning was born in Oslo, Norway. His parents were Normann Rønning (1888–1974) and Astrid Therese Nielsen (1895–1978). He graduated ...

, Odd Kvaal Pedersen, Radio Immigranten, Anders Bratholm *1987 : Petter Wessel Zapffe, Harald Tveterås, Birgitte Grimstad,

Lillebjørn Nilsen Lillebjørn Falk Nilsen (born Bjørn Falk Nilsen; 21 December 1950 – 27 January 2024) was a Norwegian singer-songwriter and folk musician. He was born in Oslo, and was considered by some to be the leading "voice of Oslo", thanks to numerous c ...

*1988 : Barthelemy Niava *1989 : Hå Gamle Prestegard, Espevør Husmorlag, Thomas Thiis-Evensen *1990 : Jahn Thon, Egil Bakke, Edvard Beyer, Elisabeth Gording, Bestemødrene foran Stortinget, Sidsel Mørck *1991 : Stiftelsen Aur Prestegård *1992 :

Odd Abrahamsen Odd Abrahamsen (20 May 1924 – 23 June 2001) was a Norwegian poet. He was born in Fredrikstad. Among his collections are ''Om det finnes en stillhet'' (1962), ''Nedslag'' (1971) and ''Makten skal tie'' (1944). He was awarded the Riksmål ...

, Arquebus Krigshistorisk museum,

Svein Ellingsen Svein Ørnulf Ellingsen (13 July 1929 – 5 April 2020) was a Norwegian visual artist and hymnist. Biography Ellingsen was born in Kongsberg to Fritz Frølich Ellingsen and Karoline Enge. His books include the poetry collections ''Det skjulte n� ...

, Erik Hillestad, Egil Hovland *1993 : Jon Godal,

Sverre Ødegaard Sverre, Sverrir or Sverri is a Nordic name from the Old Norse ''Sverrir'', meaning "wild, swinging, spinning". It is a common name in Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands; it is less common in Denmark and Sweden. It can also be a surname. Sverre ma ...

, Arild Haaland, Dagmar Loe, Anne-May Nilsen *1994 : Carl Fredrik Thorsager, Helga Arntzen *1995 : Harald Noreng, Hans P.S. Knudsen *1996 :

Kari Risvik Kari Risvik (13 June 1932 – 6 November 2021) was a Norwegian translator, one of the most productive translators of literature into Norwegian language. She has translated books from several languages, including English, Spanish and German. She ...

, Kari Vogt,

Christian Norberg-Schulz Christian Norberg-Schulz (23 May 1926 – 28 March 2000) was a Norwegian architect, author, educator and architectural theorist. Norberg-Schulz was part of the Modernist Movement in architecture and associated with architectural phenomenology. ...

, Rune Slagstad, Cato Guhnfeldt, Axel Jensen, Knut Wigert *1997 : Nasa Borba *1998 : Kristin Brudevoll, Erik Damman, Ørnulf Ranheimsæter *1999 : Aldo Keel *2000 :

Tor Bomann-Larsen Tor Bomann-Larsen (born 26 April 1951) is a Norwegian illustrator, children's writer, non-fiction writer, novelist and government scholar. Biography Tor Bomann-Larsen was born in Jevnaker, Oppland on 26 April 1951, a son of engineer Erik B ...

Hans Fredrik Dahl Hans Fredrik Dahl (born 16 October 1939) 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 ...

, Geir Hestmark, Geir Kjetsaa, Torill Steinfeld, Jan Otto Hauge, Reidar Hirsti, Ivan Kristoffersen, Arve Solstad,

Kadra Yusuf Kadra Yosuf (born 16 June 1980), also known as Kadra Noor or Kadra Norwegian, is a Norwegian-Somali activist. In 2000, she investigated female genital cutting in the Somali community in Norway in the documentary '' Norske jenter omskjæres'' for ...

*2001 : Åsne Seierstad *2002 :

Ottar Brox Ottar Brox (30 August 1932 – 16 February 2024) was a Norwegian authority in social science and a politician for the Socialist Left Party. He was professor of sociology at the University of Tromsø from 1972 to 1984, and later associate profess ...

, Åge Hovengen *2003 : Willy A. Kirkeby *2004 :

Kristian Ottosen Kristian Ottosen (15 January 1921, Solund – 1 June 2006, Oslo) was a Norwegian non-fiction writer and public servant. While still a student, he was also active in the Norwegian resistance movement during World War II and was imprisoned as a Na ...

*2005 : Trygve Refsdal, Hermund Slaattelid *2006 : Tom Martinsen *2007 : Janet Garton, Ljubiša Rajić, Ebba Haslund, Sissel Benneche Osvold, Niels Christian Geelmuyden *2008 : Arnhild Lauveng *2009 : Else Michelet,

Erik Fosse Erik Torgeir Fosse (born 2 December 1950) is a Norwegian surgeon, lieutenant colonel, political activist, solidarity worker and musician. As professor of medicine he has headed the Intervention Centre at the Rikshospitalet, National Hospital sinc ...

, Mads Gilbert *2010 :

Harald Eia Harald Meldal Eia (born 9 February 1966) is a Norwegian comedian, and sociologist. In recent years, Eia has also made TV-documentaries and written books. Eia became a household name in Norway in the mid-90s and has since then been one of cou ...

, Dag O. Hessen, Bjørn Vassnes *2011 : Odd S. Lovoll *2012 : Simon Flem Devold, Louiza Louhibi, Nina Johnsrud *2013 : Per Edgar Kokkvold,

Nils E. Øy Nils E. Øy (born 11 January 1946) is a Norway, Norwegian newspaper editor. He was born in Ørsta Municipality. He started his journalistic career in ''Fredriksstad Blad'' in 1964, and was promoted to feature editor in 1971. From 1977 to 1983 he ...

*2015 : Fredens Ring,

Flemming Rose Flemming Rose (born 11 March 1958) is a Danish journalist, author and Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute. He previously served as foreign affairs editor at the Danish newspaper ''Jyllands-Posten''. As culture editor of the same newspaper, he was ...

, Vebjørn Selbekk *2016 : Walid al-Kubaisi and Loveleen Rihel Brenna *2017 : Leo Ajkic, "The Shameless Girls" (represented by Amina Bile, Nancy Herz and Sofia Srour),

Kristin Clemet Kristin Clemet (born 20 April 1957, in Harstad) is a Norwegian politician for Høyre, Norway's Conservative Party. She was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Oslo in 1989, but was not re-elected in 1993. She had previously served as a depu ...

*2018 : Simon Malkenes (May), Odd Isungset (October) *2019 : Levi Fragell,

, Frank Nervik, Norun Haugen, Ola Waagen and Piraya Film *2020 : Sara Johnsen and Pål Sletaune *2021 : Utøya and Jørgen Watne Frydnes *2022 :

Lise Klaveness Lise Klaveness (born 19 April 1981) is a Norwegian lawyer and former Association football, footballer who played 73 matches for Norway women's national football team, Norway's national team between 2002 and 2011. She is currently the president o ...

*2023 : Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen, .

References

{{Reflist

External links

Stiftelsen Fritt Ords website
Free expression awards Norwegian awards Awards established in 1976 1976 establishments in Norway