Research Excellence in Helsinki: The Nils Klim Committee Recommendation is Ready

The annual meeting of the Nils Klim Committee took place this week, on Friday 23 January, at the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters in Helsinki.

Throughout the day the committee discussed this years’ shortlist candidates, and decided on their recommendation for who should be named the 2026 Nils Klim Prize laureate. With an all-time record number of nominations, and highly qualified candidates from very different academic disciplines to choose amongst, their task was not an easy one, but by the end of the day an unanimous decision was reached.

The committee recommendation will be presented for the Board of the Holberg Prize in mid-February, and the official announcement of the 2026 Holberg Prize and Nils Klim Prize will take place on 17 March in the University Aula in Bergen.

Record Number of Nominations

Starting with the call for nominations for the Nils Klim Prize 2026, the age limit for eligible candidates was raised from 35 to 40 years. In total, 36 valid nominations for 33 unique candidates were received by the nomination deadline, which is a clear all time record since the Prize was established in 2004.

The Nils Klim Committee

To ensure that all candidates get a thorough and fair evaluation, the five members of the Nils Klim Committee  are all acknowledged scholars from the humanities, social sciences, law or theology, one from each of the Nordic countries. Committee members are elected for three years at the time and can be reappointed once. Current members of the committee are:

• Andreas Føllesdal , Professor of Political Philosophy, Faculty of Law, University of Oslo (Chair)
• Susanna Paasonen, Professor of Media Studies, University of Turku
• Jón Gunnar Bernburg, Professor of Sociology, University of Iceland
• Kristian Bernt Karlson, Professor of Sociology, University of Copenhagen (deputy member 25/26)
• Sara Stendahl, Professor of Public Law, University of Gothenburg (deputy member 2025/2026)

Research Excellence in Turbulent Times

In the evening before the committee meeting, the Holberg Prize hosted a joint event with the Finnish Academy of Letters and Sciences titled Research Excellence in Turbulent Times, featuring former Nils Klim Laureate Daniela Alaattinoğlu, as well as Nils Klim Committee member Susanna Paasonen and Marjaana Jauhola, Senior Research Fellow at Tampere Peace Research Institute.

The event was chaired by Stefan Nygård, Associate Professor of European History at the University of Helsinki and project manager at the Academy.

The three panellists, who all have research interests related to gender, sexuality and/or marginalised groups, shared their experiences with working as researchers in these fields and perspectives on how the research landscape has changed with recent geopolitical shifts, budget cuts and pressure from the far right.

A full recording from the event is available to watch on the event page, or on the Holberg Prize YouTube Channel.

Call for Nominations: The 2027 Nils Klim Prize

The Board of the Holberg Prize welcome nominations for the 2027 Nils Klim Prize by 15 June. The Nils Klim Prize is awarded to young Nordic scholars under the age of 40 years, for outstanding contributions in the fields of humanities, social sciences, law or theology.

Scholars holding positions at universities and other research institutions, including academies, are entitled to nominate candidates to the Nils Klim Prize.