Peer Gynt Prize

Peer Gynt Prize (Per Gynt-prisen) or Peer Gynt Award (Årets Peer Gynt) is a national Norwegian honor prize presented annually during the Per Gynt Festival. Peer Gynt Prize is named after the main character in Peer Gynt (1867), a five-act play in verse by Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen.[1]

The Peer Gynt Prize award ceremony takes place during the Peer Gynt Festival (Peer Gynt-stemnet) at Vinstra in Gudbrandsdalen, one of Norway 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.[2]

The Peer Gynt Prize has been awarded every year since 1971. The recipient of the annual prize is chosen by the Norwegian parliament, and is given to a person or institution that has achieved distinction in society. Every year a prominent person is awarded The Peer Gynt Price. The chosen candidate needs to have distinguished her/himself in a positive manner in society, and also needs to have contributed to improving Norway's international reputation. The foundations of the Peer Gynt Prize are sustainability ethics and benefits for society. Factors in awarding the prize include efforts to protect the environment, support of international peace and overcome poverty and hunger.[3]

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 distinguished 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.[4]

Prize winners

References

  1. ^ Peer Gynt (Store norske leksikon)
  2. ^ The Per Gynt Festival (Norwegian Heritage Foundation)
  3. ^ Peer Gynt in Gudbrandsdalen (Venabu)
  4. ^ Peer Gynt Festival (Norway Cultural Profile)

External links