Fritt Ord Award consists of two prizes awarded by the Fritt Ord Foundation (Stiftelsen Fritt Ord). Two prizes are awarded in support of freedom of speech and freedom of expression; the Fritt Ord Award (Norwegian: Fritt Ords pris) and the Fritt Ord Honorary Award (Norwegian: Fritt Ords honnør). These are awards are distributed annually during the month of May in connection with the anniversary of the liberation of Norway at the end of World War II in May 1945. Prizes are awarded to one or more persons or organizations that have contributed to areas where the organization works, especially in the work of freedom of expression. In addition to a monetary reward, the award includes a statue by sculptor Nils Aas. Fritt Ord Foundation was founded on 7 June 1974 by Jens Henrik Nordlie (1910–1996) who served as CEO of Narvesen from 1957 to 1975, corporate director Finn Skedsmo and jurist Jens Christian Hauge (1915–2006) . The foundation was funded by Narvesen, the Norwegian based chain of convenience stores and news outlets. Source: Wikipedia (en)