Meet this Year’s Winner of the Ossietzky Prize

Every year since 1994 Norwegian PEN has granted the Ossietzky Award to a person, group, or institution that has made a particularly positive contribution to freedom of expression.

During the interwar period, journalist Carl von Ossietzky (1889–1938) became one of the leading critics of the rise of Nazism. For his revelations about the German government’s secret rearmament, he was convicted of treason and sent to prison. In 1935, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work. Ossietzky’s willingness to fight for peace and to expose the truth cost him both his freedom and his life. He remains a powerful symbol of resistance and the struggle for human rights and freedom of expression.

The winner of this year’s prize will be announced at the opening of LitFestBergen, where you will have the opportunity to meet the prizewinner in conversation with the secretary general of Norwegian PEN, Jørgen Watne Frydnes. There will also be cultural and musical performances. Join us as we celebrate courage, freedom of expression, and the winner of the 2025 Ossietzky Award!

In collaboration with Norwegian PEN.

The event will be held in English and other languages.