Members of the Nils Klim Committee are appointed by the Board of the Holberg Prize. The Board selects a recipient of the Nils Klim Prize based on the recommendation of the Nils Klim Committee.
The Nils Klim Committee consists of Nordic scholars from the academic fields covered by the Prize and is responsible for the scholarly assessment of the nominations.
The Nils Klim Committee Members
Ástráður Eysteinsson
Chair of the Committee, Professor of Comparative Literature
University of Iceland
Susanna Paasonen
Professor of Media Studies, Department of Media Studies
University of Turku
Hanne Warming
Professor of Sociology and Childhood
Roskilde University
Xavier Groussot (on leave)
Professor of EU Law
Lund University
Andreas Føllesdal (on leave)
Professor of Political Philosophy, Faculty of Law
Universitety of Oslo
Michael Stausberg (deputy member 2024/2025)
Professor of Religious Studies, Department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion
University of Bergen
Sara Stendahl (deputy member 2024/2025)
Professor of Public Law
University of Gothenburg
The Nils Klim Committee’s work
The Nils Klim Committee is responsible for assessing the nominations and presenting a recommendation for the Board of the Holberg Prize. They begin their work as soon as the nomination list is ready in late August and meet in January/ February to make their final decision on a recommendation. It is the Board of the Holberg Prize who appoints the Nils Klim Laureate. This usually happens at a board meeting shortly after the Committee has handed over their recommendation in February.
Members from the Holberg Prize Secretariat are often present during the Nils Klim Committee’s meetings, but do not take part in the discussions or selection process of the recipient of the Nils Klim Prize.
Appointment of Committee Members
The Board of the Holberg Prize appoints new members to the Committee. Members are elected for an inital 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 in the Nordic countries 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. As a guideline, all five Nordic countries should be represented amongst the Committee Members.