2025
Acceptance speech, Marvin Halleraker

“First of all, I would like to thank the Fritt Ord jury for a prize that recognises a small group that is growing steadily smaller: newspaper cartoonists in Norway. I am grateful and honoured to receive this award together with my talented colleagues, May Linn Clement and Morten Mørland.

I started my career as a newspaper cartoonist in 1990, at Bergens Tidende. Back then, most major newspapers had their own cartoonists, who were published daily and were highly valued by the editorial staffs. They were part of a long and proud tradition in the Norwegian press.
The situation has changed a lot since then. The newspaper cartoonist community was first shaken by the aftermath of the Muhammad cartoons in Jyllandsposten in 2005, and then again by the attack on Charlie Hebdo ten years later. What could we draw now? And what could we not draw? Such questions subsequently had to be considered to a far greater extent than previously.

Then came the so-called ‘woke’ movement, which exacerbated the issue, for better or for worse. As satirists, we had no choice but to circumvent a growing number of controversial issues. Some of this was good – and necessary. At the same time, the risk of self-censorship was real. Internationally, the woke movement has probably influenced satire art just as much as the caricature controversy. Satire was suddenly perceived differently, and accusations of racism led major American newspapers to dismiss cartoonists. Social media was able to mobilise so convincingly that even The New York Times gave in to the pressure.

The situation in Norway is somewhat different. Nevertheless, the number of satirical cartoons in print is dwindling. This is not primarily due to censorship, but rather because many editorial boards have reduced the priority given to cartoons. It does not help that editors cry crocodile tears about not being able to afford to give priority to satire. The upshot, in any case, is that the community seems to be gradually disappearing.

Lately, however, it feels like the work we do has started to gain momentum again. In dark times, when more is at stake, satire art takes on a more crucial role. Personally, I have noticed more attention being paid to my work now since Trump was elected president of the USA. This gives me more awareness of the fact that what we do actually makes a difference. There is a lot of potential material available for cartoonists in 2025: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war in Gaza, the war in Sudan, the growing trend towards fascism in Europe, and now also in the US. Add to this fears that democracy is on the verge of collapse, and fears related to new pandemics, the climate crisis, etc. The list is almost endless.

While constantly drawing Trump, Putin and other heads of state of the same calibre gives little pleasure, it never gets boring. Satire artists help to lay bear the foibles of power. That gives our job meaning.
These days, there are few cartoonists on staff at Norwegian newspapers. I feel fortunate to have a full-time position at Aftenposten, and to be part of a commentary group that values satirical drawings. Most of today’s artists are freelancers who do not deliver daily. I am happy to say that satire art still has an important role to play in Norway, but despite that, there is reason to be concerned about the future of the profession. Consequently, the recruitment of new cartoonists is challenging. Through her professorship at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, one of our foremost cartoonists, Siri Dokken, encourages students to try current affairs drawing. That represents an important contribution.

The Norwegian Cartoonist Gallery works tirelessly to publicise our work, and is an arena where new cartoonists can also gain exposure for their work. Fritt Ord has also played a part in this.

In addition to making important contributions to the recruitment of new cartoonists, Fritt Ord has generally supported newspaper cartoonists. The Fritt Ord Prize is one of the most important and visible prizes in the public arena. By awarding this prize to newspaper cartoonists, Fritt Ord is helping to generate much-needed focus on our work in today’s world. I hope this will also send a message to Norwegian newspaper publishers to show them that this is not the time to weaken the place of newspaper cartoons, but rather to strengthen it.

Thank you for the prize!