Members of the Holberg Committee are appointed by the Board of the Holberg Prize. The Board selects a recipient of the Holberg Prize based on the recommendation of the Holberg Committee.
The Committee consists of five internationally renowned scholars in the academic fields covered by the Holberg Prize and is responsible for the scholarly assessment of the nominations.
Holberg Committee Members
Heike Krieger
Committee Chair, Professor of Public Law and International Law
Freie Universität Berlin
Ann Phoenix
Professor of Psychosocial Studies, IOE-Social Research Institute
University College London
Ryan Nefdt
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy
University of Cape Town
David Nirenberg (On leave)
Director and Leon Levy Professor
Institute for Advanced Study
Sari Hanafi (On leave)
Professor of Sociology
American University of Beirut
Delia Baldassarri (deputy member 2024/2025)
Julius Silver, Roslyn S. Silver, and Enid Silver Winslow Professor, Department of Sociology
New York University
Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad (deputy member 2024/2025)
Distinguished Professor, Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion
University of Lancaster
The Holberg Committee’s Work
The Holberg Committee evaluates and discusses the nominated candidates at two meetings. At the first meeting, the Committee selects a few candidates for a shortlist. These candidates are evaluated and compared more thoroughly.
For each candidate on the shortlist for the main Holberg Prize, the Committee asks for review statements from international scholars who are particularly qualified within the candidate’s field and are familiar with the candidate’s work. Based on a discussion of these statements and other evaluations at its second meeting, the Committee concludes by recommending one of the shortlisted candidates as the recipient of the Holberg Prize.
The Committee presents a statement of the reasons for its recommendation, including a description and evaluation of the recommended candidate’s merits. Based on these recommendations from the Committee, the Board of the Holberg Prize makes the formal decision about who should be named the Holberg Prize Laureate.
Members from the Holberg Prize Secretariat are often present during the Holberg Committee’s meetings, but do not take part in the discussions or selection process of the recipient of the Holberg Prize.
Appointment of Committee Members
Members of the Holberg Committee are chosen by the Board of the Holberg Prize. Committee members are elected for an initial period of three years, with the possibility of reappointment for one additional period.
A procedure is established in which the Holberg Prize Secretariat invites academies ad leading research institutions internationally to nominate potential committee members. In addition to scholarly and institutional achievements, variation in geography and academic fields are also important criteria for the selection process of new members.