Reminder: The deadline for entering the 2021 Fritt Ord competition is 15 March

February 19 2021

The Fritt Ord Youth Competition is an annual competition that invites students to submit entries on topics related to freedom of expression and democracy. This year’s topic is 22 July 2011. The deadline for entering is 15 March 2021.

Fritt Ord invites schools to work on the topic of 22 July, and to submit their entries on the website at frittordkonkurransen.no.

Pupils can participate on their own or as part of classroom activities. They can work individually or in groups, and pupils are invited to submit entries in different genres: Audio, video or online productions, essays or articles. The best entries will win cash awards (NOK 20 000, NOK 15 000, and NOK 10 000) and a study tour to Strasbourg. The study tour will be assessed in the light of the corona situation.

Please use the website frittordkonkurransen.no as your starting point, then find your own sources on the topic. In retrospect, how have books, films, newspapers and other media dealt with the terrorist attacks? Feel free to share your own personal analyses, interpretations and thoughts on the events and the time that has passed since then.

In the aftermath of 22 July 2011, many books and films have been released about what happened, including fact and fiction alike. Both aspects are important contributions when addressing such a difficult topic. Factual prose and documentaries help us understand what actually happened, at the same time as the fictitious stories are also highly relevant. What part do these presentations play? And how are the events communicated?

Along with the Association !read, Fritt Ord has published an anthology entitled 22 July (selected texts), a complimentary collection of excerpts from books about the events of 22 July 2011. The book can be downloaded as an ebook here (available in Norwegian only).

Contact:

Joakim M. Lie, project manager for the Fritt Ord Foundation Competition
Email: joakim.lie@frittord.no
Mobile: +47 915 60 770

Earlier topics for the competition

2013-2014: Freedom of expression 1814-2014
2014-2015: Freedom of expression’s heroes and anti-heroes
2015-2016: Censorship
2016-2017: Enemies of the people
2017-2018: Propaganda
2018-2019: Draw!
2019-2020: Crisis

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.