The Hedda Award

The Hedda Award is given out annually for excellent performances within Norwegian performing arts.

The Hedda Award was awarded for the first time in 1998. The jury nominating the candidates is a professional jury. Until 2011 the jury was named by Norwegian theatre leaders, artistic directors and CEOs, from 2012 it has been named by a Hedda committee. The Hedda winners receive a Hedda statuette created by the sculptor Nina Sundbye.

The Hedda Award is named after the title character of Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler.

The award categories have changed over the years.

The jury is not obliged to award all categories every year. Finding worthy candidates is a condition.

In 2002, the Honorary Hedda was awarded for the first time. It went to Wenche Foss. 

Coinciding with The Hedda Award ceremony the memorial award of Aksel Waldemar is given to a visual artist and to a person who has made a particular effort for New Norwegian as a stage language.

Association of Norwegian Theatres and Orchestras (NTO), Norsk teaterlederforum (NTLF) and the fund of Haakon Mehren in remembrance of Aksel Waldemar Johannessen collaborate on The Hedda Award.

Association of Norwegian Theatres and Orchestras (NTO) is responsible for arranging the Hedda Award ceremony.

The Hedda Award is funded by support from NTO and an annual fee from all of its member theatres, amounting to 0.08 % of each theatre's annual public funding. The jury is named by, and paid for by, Norsk teaterlederforum (NTLF).

Click here for information on the memorial award of Aksel Waldemar.

SOURCE:

The Hedda Award, heddaprisen.no, 03.04.2012, http://www.heddaprisen.no/