Holberg Prize


The Holberg Prize is an international prize awarded annually by the government of Norway to outstanding scholars for work in the arts, humanities, social sciences, law and theology, either within one of these fields or through interdisciplinary work. The prize is named after the Danish-Norwegian writer and academic Ludvig Holberg. The Holberg Prize comes with a monetary award of 6 million Norwegian kroner , which are intended to be used to further the research of the recipient. The winner of the Holberg Prize is announced in March, and the award ceremony takes place every June in Bergen, Norway.
According to a reputation survey conducted in 2018, the Holberg Prize is the most prestigious interdisciplinary award in the social sciences.

History

The prize was established by the Parliament of Norway in honor of Ludvig Holberg in 2003 and complements its sister prize in mathematics, the Abel Prize. Ludvig Holberg, who excelled in all the disciplines covered by the award, played an important part in bringing the Enlightenment to the Nordic countries and is also well known as a playwright and author. The objective of the prize was to increase awareness of the value of academic scholarship in the arts, humanities, social sciences, law and theology. It has been described as the "Nobel Prize" for the arts and humanities, social sciences, law and theology.

Selection criteria

The Holberg Prize is awarded annually to scholars who have made "outstanding contributions to research in the arts and humanities, social sciences, law or theology." Scholars holding positions at universities and other research institutions, including academies, are eligible to nominate candidates to the Holberg Prize and the Nils Klim Prize. Self-nominations are not permitted. The Holberg Board awards the prize at the recommendation of the Holberg Committee.The Holberg Committee meets twice. At the first meeting, in early fall, they choose a shortlist from the nominations. The Committee then gather assessments on the short-list candidates from internationally recognized scholars before giving their final recommendation to the Board.

Organisation

The Holberg Prize is funded through a direct allocation from the Norwegian government's budget. It is administered by the University of Bergen on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Research. The University of Bergen appoints the executive board of the Holberg Prize. The Holberg Board consists of the board chair and four board member. The board members must work in different institutions, and at least one board member must work outside the university and university college sector. Board members are appointed for a period of four years and may be reappointed once. Current chair of the Holberg board is professor Sigmund Grønmo.
The Holberg Board awards the prize at the recommendation of the Holberg Committee who consists of five outstanding researchers in the arts and humanities, social sciences, law and theology. The current Holberg Prize Academic Committee is composed of: Dame Hazel Genn, , Mary Beard, Graeme Turner and Cui Zhiyuan.
Previous members of the Holberg Committee are among others: Mary Jacobus, Helga Nowotny, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Toril Moi, Stein Kuhnle, Johan P. Olsen, and Pratap Bhanu Mehta.

Laureates

The Holberg Week

During The Holberg Week in June, The Holberg Prize hosts a series of lectures, discussions and other events in honor of the Holberg Laureate and the Nils Klim Laureate. The events feature the laureates, as well as other high-profile international scholars. The program feature, among other things, the Holberg Symposium, the Nils Klim Seminar and the Holberg Lecture. All events during the Holberg week, with the exception of the award ceremony and government banquet, are open to all and have free entrance. Several of the events are also livestreamed, and available to an international audience.
In addition to The Holberg Week, The Holberg Debate is held in December each year. The debate marks Ludvig Holberg's ideas of enlightenment, and seeks to discuss and find answers to key social issues. The Holberg Debate was held for the first time in 2016. Former participants in the Holberg Debate are Timothy Garton Ash, Jostein Gripsrud, Jonathan Heawood, John Pilger and Julian Assange.

Other prizes

As part of its research dissemination targeting younger people, the Holberg Prize also awards two other prizes:
The Holberg Symposium is held annually in honor of the winner of The Holberg Prize. The event hosts prominent speakers who partake in a symposium dedicated to The Holberg Prize laureate.