Fritt Ord's Grants for critics awarded for 2024-2025

June 19 2024

The Fritt Ord Foundation awards annual grants to critics for 2024-2025. At NOK 250 000 each, the grants should result in a steady stream of reviews during the period from August 2024 to August 2025.

This year’s 10 grants have been awarded to Andreas Breivik (Klassekampen), Ida Madsen Hestman (Klassekampen), Mari Grydeland (Aftenposten), Sigrid Elise Strømmen (Vårt Land ), Mariken Lauvstad (Klassekampen), Per Christian Selmer-Andersen (Aftenposten), Rasmus Andreas Hungnes (Dag og Tid), Renate Rivedal (Bergens Tidende), Eivind Myklebust (Klassekampen) and Viviana Vega (Morgenbladet).

The critics work in literature, film and TV, pictorial art, dramatic art, music, computer games and general cultural issues. Several of those who write for journals and magazines also write for newspapers.

Further information
For more information, please contact Executive Director Knut Olav Åmås by email at: knut.olav.amas@frittord.no

Allocations 2024-2025

  • Andreas Breivik, Grant for critics, NOK 250 000
  • Eivind Myklebust, Grant for critics, NOK 250 000
  • Ida Madsen Hestman, Grant for critics, NOK 250 000
  • Mari Grydeland, Grant for critics, NOK 250 000
  • Mariken Lauvstad, Grant for critics, NOK 250 000
  • Per Christian Selmer-Andersen, Grant for critics, NOK 250 000
  • Rasmus Andreas Hungnes, Grant for critics, NOK 250 000
  • Renate Rivedal, Grant for critics, NOK 250 000
  • Sigrid Elise Strømmen, Grant for critics, NOK 250 000
  • Viviana Vega, Grant for critics, NOK 250 000

Earlier grants
A complete list of the recipients of the Fritt Ord Foundation’s Grants for critics is available in the grants database (choose “all years” and “category": “Grants for critics”).

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Call for nominations: Free Media Awards 2025

March 14 2025

In collaboration with the ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS of Hamburg, the Fritt Ord Foundation has allocated the Free Media Awards annually since 2004 to Eastern European journalists and media that defy every obstacle to tirelessly ensure independent press coverage. Russia’s war against Ukraine and the subsequent wave of disinformation clearly demonstrates the need for independent reporting in the region. Journalist, editorial teams and media companies in and from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine and Hungary who make a contribution to press freedom through their investigative, independent reporting can be nominated for the Free Media Awards.

Civitates' Tech & Democracy open call

March 6 2025

Civitates – The European Democracy Fund is a pooled philanthropic fund that was set up in 2018 for the sole purpose of addressing democratic decline and closing civic space in Europe. The case for confronting these threats is growing increasingly urgent. Fritt Ord Foundation is one of the initiators and partners of Civitates.

Civitates has launched its Tech and Democracy open call to support organisations working to ensure safer, more inclusive online spaces (social media platforms, search engines etc.) by improving the enforcement of EU tech regulations at the national level.

This open call offers a unique opportunity to strengthen civil society’s role in holding the tech sector accountable, with a focus on key EU regulations such as the Digital Services Act, GDPR, AI Act or the European Media Freedom Act to name a few.

Norwegians increasingly more positive to computer games

March 5 2025

Norwegians are increasingly more positive to accepting computer games as culture

About 17 per cent have developed a more favourable view of computer games over the past year. Six of ten play computer games, and one of three plays computer games weekly. At the same time, computer games are ranked as having lower status than books and music, for example.
“Computer games deserve more attention and discussion”, contends Joakim Lie of Fritt Ord.

– Computer games are also art

March 4 2025

“The problem with far too many media reports about computer games is that they start begin with sentences like: ‘computer games have come a long way since Pac-Man’,” sighs American computer game critic Jacob Geller.

“Let us first simply agree that computer games are indeed an art form and an expression of culture, and then let us examine the works as part of the history of art and culture.