Arendal Upper Secondary School

Sigurd Hornnes and Filip Torsvik came in third place in 2026 with their research project “Existential Philosophy and Cognitive Psychology – An Integrated Understanding.”

The project seeks to understand young people’s anxiety about the future from both a philosophical and a psychological perspective.

The foundation of the students’ research is a set of questions submitted by young people to the website ung.no. In their work, the students bring together Søren Kierkegaard’s existential philosophy and Aaron Beck’s cognitive model—two theories that offer different explanations of the concept of anxiety—in order to better understand the expressions of future-related anxiety found in these submitted questions.

The jury’s statement:

In the project “Existential Philosophy and Cognitive Psychology – An Integrated Understanding,” Sigurd Hornnes Odden and Filip Torsvik from Arendal Upper Secondary School seek to understand young people’s anxiety about the future from both a philosophical and a psychological perspective. They examine the concept of anxiety through Søren Kierkegaard’s existential philosophy as well as Aaron Beck’s cognitive framework. The empirical basis of the research consists of questions submitted by young people to the website ung.no.

This is an engaging project that brings together two distinct theoretical traditions—existential philosophy and cognitive psychology—to explore the concept of anxiety, in this case future-related anxiety among young people. The students base their work on empirical material that is well suited to addressing the research question. They apply the theories effectively to interpret the data, and their analysis is thorough, transparent, and written in an accessible language. Through the use of analytical frameworks, the students demonstrate a strong ability for systematic scientific work, examining relevant theories while illustrating both their limitations and their strengths. They show courage and creativity in their research.

The jury commends the researchers for their youthful determination and for their willingness to tackle a demanding and ambitious topic. They also demonstrate a strong capacity for reflection regarding what future research on this subject might entail.

The project is carefully developed, and the text is characterized by clear and precise language.The jury congratulates Hornnes and Torsvik on a successful project!