Meet this Year’s Winner of the Ossietzky Prize

The Ossietzky Prize

For more than 30 years, Norwegian PEN has awarded the Ossietzky Prize, named after Carl von Ossietzky (1889–1938), one of the most influential journalists of the Weimar Republic. He exposed the German government’s secret rearmament and became a fierce critic of the rise of Nazism. When he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1935, he was imprisoned and held in a concentration camp. He remains a symbol of moral courage and of the uncompromising struggle against oppression and in defence of freedom of expression.

The 2025 Ossietzky Prize is awarded to the Palestinian journalist Sami Abu Salem, VG’s local freelance journalist in Gaza. He receives the prize for his courageous work in providing the outside world with first-hand knowledge of the war since 7 October. At a time when international media have been barred from entry, Salem has, with integrity and bravery, risked his life for press freedom and freedom of expression, enabling Norwegian readers to understand what is happening on the ground.

Award Ceremony

The official award presentation will take place during the festival’s opening event on Wednesday 4 February, 6–7 pm.

Following the ceremony, Norwegian PEN and LitFestBergen will dedicate a separate programme session to the prize winner, focusing on journalism during and after Gaza, and on contemporary attacks on press freedom.

On stage you will meet:

Jørgen Watne Frydnes
Frydnes is Secretary General of Norwegian PEN. He has more than 20 years of experience working with organisations focused on democracy, human rights and humanitarian action. As CEO of Utøya AS, he led the reconstruction of Utøya following the 2011 terrorist attacks. He is Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, where he has been a member since 2021.

Sidsel Wold
Sidsel Wold is an award-winning journalist and author and has for many years served as NRK’s Middle East correspondent. In 2025 she published the book Israel – A Country at War with Itself, about unrest and internal tensions in Israel following 7 October and the war in Gaza.

Amund Bakke Foss
Amund Bakke Foss is an award-winning journalist who has worked with international affairs at VG since 2008. He is a board member of the Norwegian Association of Foreign Correspondents (Internasjonal Reporter), has travelled extensively worldwide, and has served as VG’s permanent Middle East correspondent, based in Beirut. Since 7 October, he has been Sami Abu Salem’s closest colleague in VG’s Oslo newsroom.

Gard Steiro
Gard Steiro is a Norwegian journalist and editor, and has served as Editor-in-Chief and CEO of VG since 2017. He previously worked as a journalist for Askøyværingen and Bergensavisen, and later as a journalist, news editor and managing editor at Bergens Tidende.

Morten Rostrup
In 1996, Morten Rostrup co-founded the Norwegian branch of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and served as its first president from 1996 to 2002. In 1998 he was elected Vice President of MSF’s International Council, and the following year he helped receive the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the organisation. He served as International President of the Council from 2000 to 2004. Rostrup has worked as a physician for MSF in numerous countries and has recently returned from Gaza.

The conversation will be moderated by Maja Gudim Burheim, journalist, historian and project manager at Norwegian PEN.