1. General conditions

The Nordic Council's Nature and Environment Prize has been established by the governments of the Nordic countries in accordance with Nordic Council recommendation no. 13/1995.

The purpose of the Nature and Environment Prize is to increase awareness of nature and environmental work in the Nordic countries. 

2. Criteria for the Nordic Council Nature and Environment Prize

The prize is awarded annually.

The prize is awarded to a Nordic enterprise, organisation, media or individual, which has managed in an exemplary way to integrate consideration for nature and the environment into their business or work, or which, in some other way, has made an extraordinary effort for nature and the environment.

3. The Adjudication Committee

The choice of the winner is made by an Adjudication Committee composed of 13 ordinary members, two each from each of the Nordic countries and one from each of the autonomous areas. A substitute is appointed for each ordinary member.

On the basis of recommendations from the governments, the committee members and substitutes are appointed by the Nordic Council of Ministers for a period of four years at a time. Half of the ordinary members and substitutes are appointed for two four-year periods.

4. Activities

The Adjudication Committee appoints its own chairperson and vice-chairperson. The ordinary members with the substitute make up the national committee in each country. The committee for each of the autonomous areas is made up of the member and the substitute.

The Adjudication Committee has a quorum when representatives from all the participating countries are present, according to paragraph 5 below.

The committee makes its decisions based on a simple majority. Each member has one vote. In the case of parity of votes the chairperson has the deciding vote.

Minutes will be taken at meetings.

One of the Nordic Council's national secretaries acts as secretary for the Adjudication Committee.

5. Nomination procedure

The Adjudication Committee make its decision on the prize winner based on proposals from the committees mentioned in paragraph 4. Each national committee can propose no more than two possible recipients of the prize, and each autonomous area can propose no more than one possible recipient of the prize.

The decision of the awarding of the prize will take place after explicit guidelines, laid down by the Nordic Council and Nordic Council of Ministers, see appendix 1.

After 15 June all the national committees, including those of the autonomous areas, must send information on potential prize winners to all the other committees.
No later than two weeks before the Council Session, when the prize will be awarded, the Adjudication Committee must announce its decision on the winner and justify this decision.

6. Finance

Funds for the purpose are set aside by the Nordic Council of Ministers in the joint Nordic budget.

The size of the Nature and Environment Prize and will be determined along with the budget.

The committee's budget year follows the joint Nordic budget year.

The Adjudication Committee must submit proposals for funding for its activities, including proposal for the budget, to the Nordic Council of Ministers before 1 August.

The Adjudication Committee is responsible for the financial administration in co-operation with its secretariat.

Presentation of accounts and administration of finances must take place in accordance with Nordic statutes for budgeting, financial administration, book-keeping and auditing, as well as with rules laid down by the Council of Ministers.

Any taxation of the Nordic Council's Nature and Environment Prize will follow the same guidelines which apply to other prizes of honour, including the Nordic Council's Literature Prize and Music Prize.