– To an ever greater extent, we see satire art falling through the cracks in the transition to digital media, at the same time as we see that the digital world actually makes it possible to use satire art in new ways. We hope these grants will contribute to precisely that", says project manager Joakim Lie at Fritt Ord.
That was the idea when the funding was announced in February.
There were 47 applications for the grants. All the applications were good, so the choice was difficult, according to the jury.

Meet the five artists selected, why they applied, and why they draw satire

Kjersti Synneva Moen
“I draw in order to understand the world. I am thrilled to be able to explore the struggle for women’s liberation and climate issues, and I hope the grant will help me fine hone my skills.”
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Kaho Suzuki
“I studied drawing in Japan before earning a master’s degree in visual communication in Norway, concentrating on wordless storytelling and the role of drawing in society. Many of my works describe the problems and questions of everyday life in an ironic and playful way, and I am looking forward to developing this into satirical drawing. My hope is that this grant will be the first step on the path to becoming a civic-minded illustrator.”

Trond Johan Stavås
“Thick lines, vibrant colours, and windows and bubbles are my way of seeing the world. I applied for a satire grant using the concept ‘The Illustrated Comments Section’, a surrealistic comic strip in which all comments are excerpted verbatim from real comments sections. My work has appeared in the serial comic LUNCH and will soon be a book, but I want to develop it into something with a weekly format. That will make it more current. My goal is to be published in a newspaper that will allow me to reach a larger audience.”
Halvor Mjaugedal

Gina Gylver
“I’ve always drawn. I started in primary school and never stopped. At the moment, my life revolves around climate and environmental issues. That translates into many serious topics and a great deal of frustration. I get a lot of relief by observing issues from the sidelines, rather ironically. One of the things I like about satire is that it can turn power structures inside out. Good satire can even light a fire under an issue. I’ve been a staff artist for the newspaper Vårt Land and for Nature and Youth (NU), an environmental group I currently lead. I’ll continue as leader for the time being, but the grant gives me the opportunity to spend all my free time on improving and drawing more. When my term of office with NU is up in January, I will focus more on drawing. I think satirical drawing was more or less created for digital platforms, both in the media and as a form of activism. In a world with a ridiculously short attention span, by drawing just a few lines, a person can summarise a long, complex issue.”
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Taking a deep dive in autumn 2023
The artists who have been selected will receive working grants of NOK 100 000 each, corresponding to four months of work in autumn 2023. During that time, they will be offered supervision, advice and development opportunities by experts/jury members, and the artists will work with newspapers or other media for the purpose of concluding publication agreements. The artists may also qualify for further grants from Fritt Ord that are equal to their publication fees, up to NOK 50 000 each.

The jury
The jury consisted of May Linn Clement, Emil J. Ellefsen and Bianca Boege. This is the second time that Fritt Ord has earmarked grants for satirical artists.
Fritt Ord announced its first grants earmarked for satire art in 2021. At that time, grants were awarded to these nine recipients.