List of members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee

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A white and green room with a wooden table in the middle, surrounded by turquoise and wooden chairs. The walls are lined with portraits and have two dark, wooden doors.
The committee meeting room at the Norwegian Nobel Institute
The first meeting of the committee in 1897. From the left Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, John Lund, Hans Jacob Horst, Jørgen Løvland, Christian Lange and Carl Berner.

The five members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee award the Nobel Peace Prize every year. They are appointed by the Parliament of Norway and roughly represent the political makeup of that body. The committee was established in 1897, and has awarded the prize most years since 1901. Fifty-four people have sat on the committee, of which ten have been women. Thirteen have been chair and six deputy chair. The awards in 1935 (to Carl von Ossietzky), 1973 (to Henry Kissinger) and 1994 (to Yasser Arafat) caused members of the committee to withdraw due to disagreement with the committee decision.

Since 2018, the members are Berit Reiss-Andersen (chair, of the Labour Party), Henrik Syse (deputy chair, of the Conservative Party), Thorbjørn Jagland (Labour Party), Anne Enger (Centre Party) and Asle Toje (Progress Party). Historically, the committee's members have represented seven political parties, including (in addition to the four parties currently represented) the Liberal Party, the Socialist Left Party and the Christian People's Party. Six people have sat as the committee's secretary, who is also director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute. Since 2025, this has been Kristian Berg Harpviken.

Appointment

The five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee was established on 5 August 1897, after the Parliament of Norway accepted the duty to award the Nobel Peace Prize as stated in the will of Alfred Nobel.[1] The first prize was awarded in 1901.[2] The Committee is assisted by a secretariat that is part of the Norwegian Nobel Institute.[3] In 1901, the committee was renamed the Nobel Committee of the Parliament of Norway, but this was reverted in 1977.[1] In 1948, the election system was changed to make the committee more proportional to the representation in parliament.[4] From then until 1967, the Labour Party, who held a majority in parliament, had three representatives in the committee.[2]

It is no longer possible for active parliamentarians to sit on the committee, except for the last half year of parliamentary representation, if they have stated that they will not run for re-election. This allowed Jagland and Valle to sit on the committee in 2009, while they were still elected. The appointment is made by parliament after nominations by the parties who are to be represented in the committee.

Since 2009, the Labour Party had two seats, while the three next-largest parties, the Progress Party, the Conservative Party and the Centre Party, each have one representative. The remaining parties in parliament are not represented.[5]

Current members

Jørgen Watne Frydnes, current chair of the Committee since 2024.
  1. Anne Enger (born 9 December 1949) has sat on the committee since 2018. She is a Centre Party politician, independent adviser, former Party leader (1991–1999), former Minister of Culture and Deputy Prime Minister (1997–1999) and former County Governor of Østfold (2004–2015).[6][7]
  2. Asle Toje (born 16 February 1974) has sat on the committee since 2018. He is a foreign policy scholar and commentator, former Research Director at the Norwegian Nobel Institute.
  3. Gry Larsen (born 7 November 1975) has sat on the committee since 2024.[6]
  4. Kristin Clemet (born 1957) has sat on the committee since 2021.[6]
  5. Jørgen Watne Frydnes (born 1984) has sat on the committee since 2021, and was appointed chair in 2024.[6]

All members

Head and shoulders of a man in his seventies talking into a mounted microphone. He is conservatively dressed in a suite and wears round glasses.
Francis Sejersted was chair from 1991 to 1999.
Gunnar Berge was chair from 2000 to 2002.
Half-portrait of a man in his seventies looking away from the viewer. He wears a suit and glasses.
Ole Danbolt Mjøs was chair from 2003 to 2008.
Two men in suits standing in three-quarter portrait. The man in his forties to the right looks proud, while holding a diploma and a medal in a case. The man in his sixties to the left looks satisfied.
Thorbjørn Jagland, chair of the Committee in 2009–2015, awarding the 2009 Prize to Barack Obama

The committee has had 59 different members. Fifteen people have been chair and nine deputy chair. Twelve women have sat on the committee, starting with Aase Lionæs in 1949. From 2009 to 2011, four of the board's five members were women. Christian Lous Lange is the only person to have both sat on the committee and been its secretary, and the only peace laureate to have sat on the committee. Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson was, however, awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. The longest-serving members are Hans Jacob Horst and Aase Lionæs, who both served for 30 years. The longest-sitting chair is Gunnar Jahn, who sat for 26 years as chair and 29 years on the committee. The longest period without any changes to the committee was the 15 years from 1949 to 1963. The shortest-sitting member was Esther Kostøl, who sat for less than a year in 1997.[2][6]

Seven political parties have been represented in the committee. The first committee consisted exclusively of members of the Liberal Party. The party was represented on all committees until 1973, after which it has not had a seat. In 1907, Francis Hagerup became the first representative from the Conservative Party, and this party has been represented on the board since. The Labour Party has been represented on the board since 1919, when Halvdan Koht became a member. The Agrarian Party (since named the Centre Party) was first represented on the board by Birger Braadland in 1938. The Christian Democratic Party was first represented by Erling Wikborg in 1965, the Socialist Left Party by Hanna Kvanmo in 1991 and the Progress Party by Inger-Marie Ytterhorn in 2000.[2]

Three awards have resulted in members withdrawing from the committee. Following the 1935 award to the German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, Johan Ludwig Mowinckel and Halvdan Koht withdrew. Koht was later re-appointed to the committee.[2] Following the 1973 award to Lê Đức Thọ and Henry Kissinger, Einar Hovdhaugen and Helge Rognlien withdrew. Following the 1994 award to Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin, Kåre Kristiansen withdrew.[2][8][9]

Thorbjørn Jagland sat on the committee from 2009 to 2020 and was its chair in 2009–2015. In March 2015, Jagland was demoted as a chairman, the first such move since the establishment of the Committee, but remained member. There was no official reason given for demotion, but a lot of criticism was aimed at him for awarding the Prize to Barack Obama, to the EU, and to Liu Xiaobo.[10][11]

Member[2] Start End Tenure (years) Party Chair Deputy chair
Jørgen Løvland 1901192121Liberal1901–21—
John Lund 1901191212Liberal—1901–13[12]
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson 190119066Liberal——
Johannes Steen 190119044Liberal——
Hans Jacob Horst 1901193030Liberal—1914–22[12]
Carl Berner 1905191814Liberal——
Francis Hagerup 1907192014Conservative——
Cornelius Bernhard Hanssen 1913193927Liberal—1922–39[12][13]
Halvdan Koht 1919193822[note 1]Labour——
Fredrik Stang 1921194020Conservative1922–40—
Wollert Konow 192219243Liberal——
Christian Holtermann Knudsen 192419241Labour——
Johan Ludwig Mowinckel 1925193612Liberal——
Axel Thallaug 193119333Conservative——
Christian Lous Lange 193419386Labour——
Gunnar Jahn 1938196629Liberal1941–66—
Birger Braadland 1938194810[note 2]Agrarian——
Anders Vassbotn 193919392Liberal——
Carl Joachim Hambro 1940196322[note 3]Conservative—1945–49[14]
Martin Tranmæl 1940196324Labour——
Halvard Manthey Lange 194519483[note 4]Labour——
Christian Oftedal 194619472Liberal——
Herman Smitt Ingebretsen 194619461Conservative——
Aase Lionæs 1949197830Labour 1968–78—
Gustav Natvig-Pedersen 194919653Labour—1949–65[14][15]
Nils Langhelle 196419673Labour19671965–66[15]
John Lyng 196419652Conservative——
Erling Wikborg 196519695Christian Democratic——
Bernt Ingvaldsen 196719759Conservative19671967,
1968–75[15]
Helge Refsum 196519726Centre——
Helge Rognlien 196719737Liberal——
John Sanness 1970198112Labour1979–81—
Einar Hovdhaugen 197319731Centre——
Egil Aarvik 1974198916Christian Democratic1982–891976–81
Trygve Haugeland 1974198411Centre——
Sjur Lindebrække 197619816Conservative——
Else Germeten 197919846Labour——
Gidske Anderson 1982199312Labour19901981–90
1991–93
Francis Sejersted 1982199918Conservative1991–991990
Odvar Nordli 1985199612Labour——
Gunnar Stålsett 1985200219[note 5]Centre—2000–02
20122014
Kaare Sandegren 199019963[note 6]Labour——
Kåre Kristiansen 199119944Christian Democratic——
Hanna Kvanmo 1991200212Socialist Left—1993–98
Sissel Rønbeck 1994201118[note 7]Labour——
Gunnar Berge 199720026Labour2000–021999
Esther Kostøl 199719971Labour——
Inger-Marie Ytterhorn[16] 2000201718Progress——
Ole Danbolt Mjøs 200320086Christian Democratic2003–08—
Berge Furre 200320086Socialist Left—2003–08
Kaci Kullmann Five 2003201715Conservative2015–172009–15
Thorbjørn Jagland 2009202012Labour2009–15—
Ågot Valle[17] 200920113Socialist Left——
Berit Reiss-Andersen 2012202312Labour2017–232015–17
Henrik Syse 201520206Conservative—2018–20
Anne Enger 201820269Centre——
Asle Toje 2018202912Progress[18]——
Kristin Clemet[19] 202120266Conservative——
Jørgen Watne Frydnes[19] 202120266Labour2024——
Gry Larsen[20] 202420296Labour——
Key
Current members in bold

Secretaries

The committee's secretary is the sitting director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute.[21] Since 2025, the secretary has been Kristian Berg Harpviken (born 1961), sociologist, researcher, and former director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo.

Secretary Start End Tenure (years)
Christian Lous Lange 190119099
Ragnvald Moe 1910194536
August Schou 1946197318
Tim Greve 197419774
Jakob Sverdrup 1978198912
Geir Lundestad 1990201425
Olav Njølstad 2015202510
Kristian Berg Harpviken 2025present1

Notes and references

Notes

  1. Halvdan Koht did not serve from 1937 through 1940.[2]
  2. Birger Braadland did not serve in 1941.[2]
  3. Carl Joachim Hambro was on leave of absence in 1946.[2]
  4. Halvard Manthey Lange was on leave of absence in 1946.[2]
  5. Gunnar Stålsett did not serve in 1994.[2]
  6. Kaare Sandegren only served in 1990, during the last quarter of 1993 and the last quarter of 1996.[2]
  7. Rønbeck was on leave from October 1996 to November 1997.[2]

References

  1. Heffermehl, 2008: 53–54
  2. Nobel Foundation. "The Norwegian Nobel Committee 1901-2017". Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  3. Norwegian Nobel Institute. "The Nobel Institute". Archived from the original on 24 July 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  4. Heffermehl, 2008: 84–85
  5. Helljesen, Geir. "Bare nordmenn i Nobelkomiteen". Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (in Norwegian). Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  6. Norwegian Nobel Institute. "Committee members". Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  7. "Anne Enger Lahnstein". Norwegian Government. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  8. Nobel Foundation. "Kristiansen, Kåre Gulbrand". Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  9. Wiedswang, Kjetil. "The Other Nobel Controversy". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  10. "Nobel peace prize committee chairman Thorbjørn Jagland demoted". The Guardian. 3 March 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  11. Poole, Thom (5 March 2015). "Why has the Nobel Peace Prize chairman been demoted?". BBC. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  12. Norwegian Nobel Committee. Aarsberetninger fra Det Norske Stortings Nobelkomité 1900–1930 (in Norwegian). Parliament of Norway.
  13. Norwegian Nobel Committee. Aarsberetninger fra Det Norske Stortings Nobelkomité 1931–1945 (in Norwegian). Parliament of Norway.
  14. Norwegian Nobel Committee. Aarsberetninger fra Det Norske Stortings Nobelkomité 1946–1960 (in Norwegian). Parliament of Norway.
  15. Norwegian Nobel Committee. Beretning fra Det Norske Stortings Nobelkomité for 1961–1975 (in Norwegian). Parliament of Norway.
  16. "Ytterhorn, Inger-Marie (1941-)". Stortinget. 14 February 2020.
  17. "Valle, Ågot (1945-)". Stortinget. 9 March 2008.
  18. "Progress Party finds a new Nobel man". News in English.no. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  19. "Valg av medlemmer til Nobelkomiteen". stortinget.no (in Norwegian). 18 January 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  20. "Valg av medlemmer til Nobelkomiteen". stortinget.no (in Norwegian). 7 December 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  21. "The Norwegian Nobel Committee". The Nobel Peace Prize. 2021-08-20. Retrieved 2025-07-12.

Bibliography