Awards ceremony for the Fritt Ord Foundation Competition for Upper Secondary School

April 12 2018

Welcome to the awards ceremony for the Fritt Ord Foundation Competition for Upper Secondary School, on Thursday, 12 April, at 2 p.m. at Uranienborgveien 2. There will be a formal and enjoyable celebration with speeches, finger food, and entertainment provided by music students from Foss Upper Secondary School.

The topic of this year’s competition was “Propaganda”, and participants were invited to submit entries in a variety of genres: audio, video or online productions, essays or articles. Fritt Ord received 255 interpretations of the assignment, and the projects have shed light on different types of propaganda from a number of perspectives.

The following four projects are the winners:

  • A video essay on body-image pressure, submitted by Marta Berstad from Nord-Gudbrandsdal Upper Secondary School (also the school of last year’s winners)
  • Music video on propaganda and the great ideologies of the 1900s, submitted by Tobias Karlsen and fellow pupils at Bergeland Upper Secondary School in Stavanger
  • “Out of hibernation”, essay written by Selma Sofie Norup, Bergen Cathedral School, based on Trump’s election victory
  • The essay “This is propaganda” by Leah Jakobsen, Ullern Upper Secondary School, a personal text about media pressure in everyday life

In addition to a cash prize, the prize laureates will take part in a study tour to Strasbourg, where they will visit the Council of Europe, the European Court of Human Rights and the EU parliament.

Programme for the awards ceremony:

  • Speech by the chair of the Fritt Ord Foundation Board, Grete Brochmann
  • Speech by the chair of the jury, Jostein Saxegaard, and jury members Lene Julsen and Lars Laird Iversen.
  • Speech by the prize laureates

Iver Jensen, jury member and former winner of the Fritt Ord Foundation Competition, will be master of ceremonies for the event.

The programme will finish by 3 p.m., and will be followed by a social gathering. Canapés will be served.

News

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.

The 2025/26 Monitor survey

June 17 2026

The Fritt Ord Foundation and the Institute for Social Research (ISF) invite you to the launch of a report and a subsequent discussion on Monday, 8 June 2026, from 9.00 to 11.00 am, at Fritt Ord’s premises at Uranienborgveien 2 in Oslo.

Where do people draw the line when it comes to freedom of expression, and what do they believe to be the greatest threats to an informed debate at a time characterised by unrest, crises and international conflicts? Do they feel there is sufficient diversity of opinion and enough room for divergent viewpoints? And how do people assess access to truthful and relevant information in a media landscape featuring new formats, new voices and artificial intelligence?