Awards ceremony, Fritt Ord Foundation Competition 2016

April 19 2016

Thanks to all those who submitted contributions to the 2016 Fritt Ord Foundation Competition for upper secondary school students. We received many exciting texts and media productions on censorship in both direct and indirect forms, featuring many good observations about digital surveillance, freedom of information, self-censorship and rebellion against established truths.

Three winners have been chosen from among 150 entries submitted by 210 participants. The three winners of the competition are:

  • Sara Pernille Jensen, Oslo Cathedral School
  • André Jonassen, Stavanger Cathedral School
  • Thea Sundet, Thora Storm Upper Secondary School, Trondheim

The awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday, 19 April, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Fritt Ord’s premises at Uranienborgveien 2 in Oslo.

There will be speeches by the prize laureates, chair of the jury Henrik G. Bastiansen and the Fritt Ord Foundation’s Executive Director Knut Olav Åmås. Author Soudabeh Alishahi will deliver a speech and award the prizes to the winners. A musical interlude will be provided by pupils from Edvard Munch Upper Secondary School.

The event is open to the public. Welcome!

The Fritt Ord Foundation Competition for upper secondary school is an annual competition that invites students to submit entries about freedom of expression and democracy. This year’s topic was “Censorship”. The submissions were adjudicated by a jury consisting of Professor Henrik G. Bastiansen (chair of the jury), Amal Aden, Simen Ekern, Anine Kierulf, Nefise Özkal Lorentzen, Lars Nyre and Jostein Saxegaard.

First prize is a grant for NOK 20 000, second prize for NOK 15 000 and third prize for NOK 10 000. The prizes also include a trip to Strasbourg, where all the prize laureates will visit the EU Parliament, the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights. Read more about the project here.

News

Mykhailo Tkach, Andrei Aliaksandrau, Arevhat Sahakyan (Factor TV), Nino Bakradze (iFact), and Lola Tagaeva (Verstka).

Free Media Awards for 2026. Press freedom under pressure in wartime: – Silence does not protect democracy

September 29 2026

This year’s winners of the Free Media Awards from the Fritt Ord Foundation and Zeit Stiftung Bucerius received their awards in Toppsalen at the Munch Museum in Oslo on 29 September 2026.
The Belarusian journalist and media manager Andrei Aliaksandrau came straight to Oslo after spending over five years in prison for his work. Aliaksandrau dedicated the award to imprisoned journalists and editors in Belarus and quoted the Liverpool FC anthem: “You’ll never walk alone”.

Mykhailo Tkach heads investigations at Ukrainska Pravda, which uncovers corruption, even in a Ukraine fighting an existential war against Russia.
– I face charges in at least thirteen cases related to my work. I have been threatened. My team has been threatened. And what is our answer? To keep digging. Silence does not protect democracy. Journalism does.

Mykhailo Tkach

Ukrainian, Georgian, Armenian, Russian and Belarusian journalists and media to receive five Free Media Awards for 2026

September 3 2026

This year’s prize laureates for the Free Media Awards from the Fritt Ord Foundation and Zeit Stiftung Bucerius are:
The investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach from Ukraine
The investigative media outlet iFact from Georgia
The online media Factor TV from Armenia
The online media Verstka from Russia (in exile)
The journalist and media director Andrei Aliaksandrau from Belarus (imprisoned)*

Fritt Ord's grants for master’s degrees

August 30 2026

Is your master’s project about freedom of expression, social debate or journalism? If so, you can apply for a student grant from the Fritt Ord Foundation.

The Freedom of Expression Foundation Tribute 2026

August 18 2026

The rap duo Karpe has been awarded the Freedom of Expression Foundation Tribute for giving voice to the experiences of many young people from minority backgrounds. Through the language of rap, they are expanding the space for the expression of identity and belonging.