The Peer Gynt Prize or the Peer Gynt Award (Årets Peer Gynt or Per Gynt-prisen) is a private Norwegian prize presented annually by the private commercial company Peer Gynt AS during the Peer Gynt Festival, also organised by the same company. The Peer Gynt Prize is named after the main character in Peer Gynt (1867), a five-act play in verse by Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen. The prize is awarded to people or institutions who have marked themselves in a positive way nationally and internationally. However, the prize has received criticism for misrepresenting the Peer Gynt character, who is portrayed in Ibsen's play as quintessentially immoral and selfish.
The Peer Gynt Prize has been awarded every year since 1971. The recipient of the annual prize is chosen by the private company Peer Gynt AS and is given to a person or institution that has achieved distinction in society and contributed to improving Norway's international reputation in the company's view. It was first awarded to Einar Gerhardsen for his efforts as prime minister in rebuilding the country after World War II.Peer Gynt in Gudbrandsdalen (Venabu).
Members of the Peer Gynt Festival itself, parliamentary representatives and former winners of the year's Peer Gynt prize may propose candidates for the award. Former award-winners form a network connected to the Peer Gynt Festival. The award is a bronze statuette of Peer Gynt riding a reindeer buck (Peer Gynt-statuetten), made by artist Carl Bilgrei.Peer Gynt Festival (Norway Cultural Profile).
The Peer Gynt Prize award ceremony takes place during the Peer Gynt Festival (Peer Gynt-stemnet) at Vinstra in Gudbrandsdalen, one of Norway's leading festivals. Peer Gynt Festival is a 12-day cultural festival that takes place in the beginning of August each year. The first Festival was held in 1928, for the centennial of Henrik Ibsen's birth.The Per Gynt Festival (Norwegian Heritage Foundation).
Prize winners 1971: Einar Gerhardsen, former Prime Minister 1972: Per Aabel, actor 1973: Liv Ullmann, actress 1974: Erik Bye, singer and artist 1975: Erling Stordahl, singer and advocate for disabled persons 1976: Øivind Bergh, conductor 1977: Birgit and Rolf Sunnaas, founders of Sunnaas Hospital 1978: Arve Tellefsen, violinist 1979: Grete Waitz, marathon runner 1980: Anne-Cath. Vestly, author 1981: Cato Zahl Pedersen, disabled sportsperson 1982: Jens Evensen, diplomat, lawyer and politician 1983: Thorbjørn Egner, author and artist 1984: Crown Princess Sonja 1985: Bobbysocks, winners of the Eurovision Song Contest 1986: Annie Skau Berntsen, nurse and missionary 1987: a-ha, musical group 1988: Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra 1989: Norwegian Olympic Committee, Ole Sjetne 1990: Thorvald Stoltenberg, politician and United Nations official 1991: Hans-Wilhelm Steinfeld, journalist 1992: Bjørn Dæhlie and Vegard Ulvang, cross-country skiers 1993: Kjetil André Aamodt, alpine skier 1994: Mona Juul and Terje Rød Larsen, diplomats 1995: Johann Olav Koss, speed skater and founder of Right To Play 1996: Jostein Gaarder, author 1997: Gro Harlem Brundtland, United Nations official and former Prime Minister 1998: Norway women's national handball team, Marit Breivik 1999: Thor Heyerdahl, ethnographer and adventurer 2000: Bellona Foundation environmental organization 2001: Knut Vollebæk, politician and diplomat 2002: Eva Joly, lawyer against corruption 2003: Åsne Seierstad, journalist and author 2004: Arne Næss, philosopher and mountaineer 2005: Jan Egeland, diplomat and United Nations official 2006: Kjell Inge Røkke, entrepreneur 2007: Leif Ove Andsnes, pianist 2008: Snøhetta AS, international architecture company 2009: Ole Gunnar Solskjær, footballer and UNICEF ambassador 2010: Dissimilis Norway 2011: Magnus Carlsen, chess player 2012: Marit Bjørgen and Jens Stoltenberg 2013: Jo Nesbø, author and musician 2014: Norway Cup, one of the world's largest football tournaments 2015: May-Britt Moser and Edvard Moser, scientists and Nobel Prize winners in 2014 2016: Deeyah Khan, film director, music producer, composer and human rights defender. 2017: Julie Andem, director, screenwriter and television producer 2018: Elisabeth Hoff, nurse, humanitarian aid worker in Syria 2012–2019 2019: Kjetil Jansrud and Aksel Lund Svindal, alpine skiers 2020: Maja Lunde, author 2021: Birgit Skarstein, paralympic athlete 2022: Maren Lundby, ski jumper 2023: Lise Klaveness, lawyer and footballer 2024: Médecins Sans Frontières, humanitarian organization 2025: Benjamin Ree, director 2026: Jannicke Mikkelsen, director and astronaut
References
External links The Peer Gynt Festival Official website