- It is important to highlight these fields of research and the relevance they have in the world today. I hope the prize will continue to engage and encourage debate, both within academia and in society at large, says Mortensen.

Ellen Mortensen is Professor of Comparative Literature at the Department of Linguistics, Literary and Aesthetic Studies (LLE) at the University of Bergen. She is also former Director of the Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies (SKOK)

- I am honoured to be appointed as academic director of the Holberg Prize. I am certain that the position will offer both interesting and exciting tasks, as well as challenges. I look forward to continue and further develop the excellent work that my predecessor, Professor Ivar Bleiklie, has done. My ambition for the Holberg Prize is that it will become better known in academic circles worldwide, and not only in the Western world, says Mortensen.

The Holberg Prize receives about 70 nominations each year, including nominations from prestigious universities such as Princeton, University of Oxford and London School of Economics.

The Holberg Prize is the world's largest annual research prize within the Social sciences, Humanities, Law and Theology. The award recognizes ground-breaking research within the aforementioned fields and amounts to 4.5 million Norwegian kroner. It was established by the Norwegian Parliament in 2003 and has been called the "Nobel Prize" for research fields that the price represents. The price is administered by the University of Bergen on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Research.