Winners named in the Fritt Ord Foundation Competition

June 7 2019
Four winners have been named in the Fritt Ord Foundation Competition for Upper Secondary School, and four entries won diplomas for honourable mention.

The Fritt Ord Foundation Competition for upper secondary school is an annual competition that invites pupils to submit entries about freedom of expression and democracy. This year’s theme was “Drawing as a form of expression”, and the deadline for submission was 1 March 2019. No fewer than 240 entries in a variety of genres were submitted by the deadline: texts, drawings and comic strips, photographs, animated films, documentaries and digital media productions.

The awards ceremony is scheduled for Friday, 7 June 2019, at the comic strip festival Oslo Comix Expo. At that time, the winning entries will be published, along with the jury’s grounds.

The winners:

First prizes

  • Linn Isabel Eielsen, 3rd year at Skeisvang Upper Secondary School in Rogaland County, for the comic strip “Not a number”.
  • Aslak Nikolai Kolding, 3rd year at Hjalmar Johansen Upper Secondary School, for an animated film.

Second prizes

  • Mathias Kartveit Mikalsen, 2nd year at Bodin Upper Secondary School in Nordland County for the media production “A few lines that turn into things”.
  • Kirsti Karina Dahl Sæternes, 1st year at Olav Duun Upper Secondary School in Trøndelag County for the text “The boy in his mother’s poncho”

Honourable mention diplomas
  • Marie Schønsee, 2nd year at Bodin Upper Secondary School, for the drawing “Hypocrisy”
  • Halvor Hustveit Mjaugedal, 3rd year at Rosenvilde Upper Secondary School for the comic strip “The Masterpiece”
  • Nanna Tao Karlstrøm, 3rd year at Bærum, for the comic strip “Yogurt cup in the wrong bin”
  • Livia Emilie Valenti Stokke and Joachim Maksim, 2nd year at Gjøvik Upper Secondary School for the media production “What are you worried about?”

The jury consisted of:

  • Anja Selmer, former winner of the Fritt Ord Foundation competition
  • Bianca Boege, Newspaper Artists’ House in Drøbak
  • Joachim Laberg, Nordahl Grieg Upper Secondary School in Bergen
  • Jostein Saxegaard, Rosenvilde Upper Secondary School in Bærum
  • Morten Harper, comic strip author
  • Siri Dokken, illustrator and professor of Satirical Drawing at the Oslo National Institute of the Arts

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?