Practical information for journalists attending the Session and the awards ceremony for the Nordic Council prizes 2023

Accreditation for the Session of the Nordic Council is mandatory for journalists who wish to cover the Session in person. A valid press card is required in order to be accredited. You can apply for accreditation until 14:00 (Norwegian time) on 27 October. After this date, and if you have any questions, please contact Communications Advisor Henric Öhman by e-mail at henohm@norden.org or by phone on +45 60 39 06 30 

The Presidium of the Nordic Council will hold a press conference prior to the Session at 12:15 on 30 October. It will be in Norwegian and held on Eidsvolls plass, just outside the Parliament. The President of the Nordic Council, Jorodd Asphjell, and the Vice-President, Helge Orten, will take part. The focus will be on a competition for school students on the theme of freedom of speech.

The Nordic prime ministers will meet at the Session of the Nordic Council. They will also hold a press conference on Tuesday 31 October. at 11:00 in the government building at Riddervolds gate 2. Accreditation for the Session includes the prime ministers’ press conference. The conference will be streamed live. Journalists are asked to arrive by 10:15 for security checks before the press conference begins. You must bring a valid press card and proof of ID. The press conference will also be streamed live.

On 31 October, the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, will be a guest speaker at the Session and will hold a press conference afterwards. Please direct requests for interviews to Sissel Kruse Larssen, +32479731996,kruselarsen.sissel@hq.nato.int. 

The Speaker of the Norwegian Parliament, Masud Gharahkhani, and the President o f the Nordic Council, Jorodd Asphjell, will welcome Stoltenberg on Løvebakken on Tuesday 31 October at 13:37. They will then hold a meeting in he Speaker’s office, after which Stoltenberg will address the Session in the Parliament. The visit will end with a press conference in Vandrehallen in the Parliament at 15:45. Accreditation for the Session is also valid to the press conference.

Timetable for the visit by the NATO Secretary General:

13:37 Arrival, Løvebakken (photo opp)

13:40 Meeting between the Norwegian Speaker and the NATO Secretary General in the Speaker’s office (photo opp at start)

14:15–15:05 The Secretary-General addresses the Nordic Council in the Parliament. Q&A in plenary (photos from the gallery).

15:45 The Secretary General meets the media in Vandrehallen.

If you wish to take photographs of the Secretary General’s arrival, please be in place at Løvebakken by 13:05 at the latest.

The Nordic ministers for foreign affairs will meet during the Session and will hold a press conference in Vandrehallen in the Parliament at 15:10 on Wednesday 1 November. Accreditation for the Session is also valid for the press conference held by the ministers for foreign affairs. 

Registration for the Session will take place in the parliament building after the security check. Entrance at Løvebakken on Eidsvolls plass, Karl Johans gate 22, 0026 Oslo, Norway. Upon registration, you will receive a media/access card, which will allow you to follow the plenary sessions and move around the Parliament. 

A valid press card or photo ID must be shown when registering. 

Registration will be open at the following (Norwegian) times: 

• Monday 30 October from 08:30 to 18:00 

• Tuesday 31 November from 07:30 to 17:30 

• Wednesday 1 November from 07:30 to 17:30 

• Thursday 2 November from 07:30 to 15:00 

During the Session, photography will only be permitted in the Parliament chamber from the galleries. Only official Norwegian parliamentary and Nordic Council photographers will be allowed into the chamber. The Nordic Council’s official images will be posted for unrestricted use (except for commercial purposes).

The media centre will be in room S-447 on the fourth floor of the Parliament. The Nordic Council’s communications advisors will be available to the media throughout the Session. The Communications Department will be based in Kinosalen on the fifth floor of the Parliament. Contact: Henric Öhman, henohm@norden.org or +45 60 39 06 30

The media have access to all the meetings and debates in the chamber, which will also be streamed live in Scandinavian, Icelandic, Finnish, and English. 

The winners of the five Nordic Council prizes will be announced at a live awards ceremony held in the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet in Oslo at 19:30 Norwegian time (CET) on 31 October. 

Accreditation & registration: Journalists must be accredited for the awards ceremony and have registered with the Norwegian Parliament* if they wish to attend and cover the awards ceremony. *Address: Løvebakken at Eidsvolls plass, Karl Johans gate 22, 0026 Oslo. More information under the heading 'Registration' in the text above. 

Arrival: Upon arrival at the Opera, you must present your press card and photo ID.  

Address: The media will enter via the side entrance at restaurant Havssmak, Kirsten Flagstads plass 1, 0255 Oslo.  There will be a list of names at the entrance. Upon arrival, you will find an information desk for the media. 

Dress code: Semi-formal  

Timetable (local Norwegian time/CET):  

• 18:15 – Doors open. Please arrive in plenty of time for security checks! 

• 19:15 – Doors close, everybody must be seated by 19:20 

• 19:30 – The awards ceremony starts 

• 20:45 – The awards ceremony ends at 20:45 Norwegian time. Immediately afterwards, the winners will be available for interviews and photographs.  

• 22:00 – The event ends 

Media centre : A media centre complete with tv screens will be set up in the “Formidlingssenteret” room. It is located at entrance D. See the signs.  

Positions in the hall: There will be marked seats for the media on the left and right in the stalls.

The prizes will be awarded in the following order (approximate CET times in brackets): 

• The Environment Prize 2023 (19:36) – awarded by HRH Crown Prince Haakon and HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit

• The Music Prize 2023 (19:49) – awarded by the musician Kajsa Balto, who will also perform during the evening

• The Children and Young People’s Literature Prize 2023 (20:05) – awarded by the author Maja Lunde

• The Film Prize 2023 (20:16) – awarded by the actor Maria Bonnevie

• The Literature Prize 2023 (20:30) – awarded by the Norwegian Minister of Culture, Lubna Jaffery.  

Photography is NOT permitted in the hall during the awards ceremony.

IMPORTANT: Photography is NOT permitted in the hall during the awards ceremony without the express permission of the media officer. After the ceremony, accredited photographers may take pictures of the winners on the stage. See separate e-mail for specific information.

Media images from the ceremony will be uploaded regularly into a separate press folder for free use.

Interviews with the winners 

Immediately after the awards ceremony, the winners will be available on stage for interviews and photographs.  Journalists not attending the ceremony but who would like to sign up for video or phone interviews, are requested to contact the media officer: Elisabet Skylare, elisky@norden.org  

Key times (approx. local Norwegian times):  

• 20:45 – End of awards ceremony and live broadcast.  

• 20:45 – Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre welcomes guests to the government reception. The audience leaves the auditorium. The winners stay behind and go back on stage.  

• 20:45 – The media proceed from their seats to Entrance A on the right-hand side, where the media officer will greet them at the door.  

• 20:50 – On-stage photo opp for selected photographers

• 20:50 onwards – opportunity for interviews and photos with the winners on stage  

SMS +45 21717127 or send an email to elisky@norden.org in advance if you wish to interview the winner(s) of a specific prize.  

News items will be published regularly on norden.org and social media 

We will publish news from the awards ceremony as each prize is presented. The news items will be available in all the Nordic languages on norden.org and we will post updates on social media. We use the hashtag #nrpriser.

 LIVE: the awards ceremony can be watched LIVE throughout the Nordic Region 

The broadcast from the Oslo Opera House will start at 19:30 and will be streamed live on norden.org. NRK1 will broadcast the awards ceremony from 20:00. 

The awards ceremony is being produced by producer and artistic director Paal Ritter Schjerven on behalf of the Norwegian Parliament.  

Contact the media officer 

If you have questions about the Nordic Council awards ceremony for 2023, please contact:   

Elisabet Skylare, elisky@norden.org, +45 21 71 71 27  

Josefine Carstad, joscar@norden.org, +45 22 35 70 13

Please follow the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers on X (formerly Twitter), which will be widely used during the Session. The Session hashtags are #nrsession and #nrpol.