Nordic Council awards ceremony to be broadcast live from Copenhagen on 2 November
Every year, the Nordic Council awards five prizes in recognition of Nordic literature, languages, music, and film, as well as innovative thinking in the field of the environment. After a year of keeping our distance and digital gatherings, the Danish delegation to the Nordic Council is hosting a physical awards ceremony in Copenhagen.
“Being able to award the Nordic Council prizes in front of an audience for the first time in two years will be cause for celebration when we meet in the Danish Royal Theatre’s new Skuespilhuset by the water. There will be music and singing, and the entire Nordic Region will be able to join us via television as the winners are revealed, presented, and celebrated,” says the President of the Nordic Council Bertel Haarder.
Outstanding efforts in the fields of culture and the environment
54 works, initiatives, and artists from all the Nordic countries have been nominated for the 2021 Nordic Council prizes for the environment, music, film, literature, and children and young people’s literature. Among these we have novels, short stories, picture books and future epics, documentaries and feature films, vocalists, trumpeters, a pianist and a DJ collective, as well as initiatives including regenerative agriculture, greenhouses in Greenland, and a database of food CO2 emissions.
Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary to award the children and young people’s literature prize
The winners will be presented on stage on 2 November and will each receive the Nordlys statuette and DKK 300,000. Giving out the prizes in 2021 are:
- Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize by Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary
- Nordic Council Environment Prize by food waste activist and previous winner Selina Juul
- Nordic Council Film Prize by James Bond actor David Dencik
- Nordic Council Music Prize by conductor and composer Phillip Faber
- Nordic Council Literature Prize by the heads of government for Greenland and the Faroe Islands, Múte B. Egede and Bárður á Steig Nielsen.
Pop, jazz and singing
The programme for the evening will be led by actor and host Jakob Oftebro and offer a variety of musical experiences. Singer Tina Dickow, a cappella choir Vocal Line, Mathias Heise Trio, and multi-instrumentalist Helgi Jónsson will all feature in the ceremony. There will also be some joint singing before the DR Girls’ Choir brings the evening to a close.
“Culture plays a key role in connecting the Nordic countries. An exciting book, a dramatic film, a moving song, or a sustainable idea that awakens our curiosity and whets our appetite for more knowledge and experiences that transcend borders. On 2 November, we’ll pay tribute to some of the artists and entrepreneurs who have gone to extraordinary lengths to strengthen ties within and between Nordic cultural communities. As a cultural mediator, DR is incredibly proud to be able to bring the Nordic countries together for the evening with an amazing show that people can enjoy wherever they are in the region,” says Henrik Bo Nielsen, DR’s Director for Culture, Children, and Young People.
Watch the awards ceremony live on 2 November!
The broadcast from Skuespilhuset will start at 20:00 (CET) and can be watched live on DR 2 and throughout the Nordic Region via the DR website www.dr.dk. The awards ceremony, which this year is produced by DR, will also be broadcast on public service channels throughout the region. Check your national television listings for details.
About the Nordic Council’s prizes
The Nordic Council prizes are considered the most prestigious prizes in the region. First awarded in 1962, the literature prize is the oldest of the five prizes. It was first awarded in 1962 and has since been followed by the music prize, the environment prize, the film prize and the children and young people’s literature prize. The five adjudication committees select the nominees and the winner.
The Nordic Council prizes will be awarded in conjunction with the 73rd Session of the Nordic Council in Copenhagen, where parliamentarians, ministers, and other politicians from all over the Nordic Region come together to engage in political debate.
Information for the press
The Nordic Council prizes for 2021 will be awarded on 2 November at 20:00 (CET) at Skuespilhuset in Copenhagen. Immediately after the awards ceremony, the winners will be available for interviews and photographs. Only journalists accredited for the Session of the Nordic Council will be able to participate in the awards ceremony. Journalists must apply for accreditation by 27 October at 15:00 (CET). A valid press card is required.
