Rick Kirkham – 2021

Careful What You Wish For Rick Kirkham is an experienced journalist and filmmaker who has dedicated his life to telling stories. Best known for his 2006 HBO show TV Junkie as well as his appearance in the Netflix series Tiger King, Kirkham has always been interested in television. He was constantly on the lookout for […]

Irina T. Sorokina – 2021

The Next Generation Infrared Lasers Irina T. Sorokina is a Professor of Physics at NTNU in Norway, and a co-founder of ATLA Lasers – a high-tech spinoff company that develops and commercializes ultrafast lasers that operate at middle-infrared wavelengths, also called a “molecular fingerprint” region. Sorokina holds an MSc and PhD in physics and a […]

Nicolai Tangen – 2021

Why Every Norwegian is a Millionaire The Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global, commonly known as “the oil fund” owns more than 1,5 % of the worlds listed companies, managing around 11 trillion NOK (around 1 trillion USD) on behalf of the Norwegian population. The fund is based on the idea that the wealth from natural […]

Benedikte Wallace – 2021

What Happens When Art Meets AI? Benedikte Wallace is a PhD researcher at the RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Rhythm, Time and Motion at the University of Oslo. She has a background in music production and an MSc in Informatics. Her interest lies in the cross-section between art and science. Her research is centred […]

Joakim Jørgensen – 2021

Why should you do something meaningless? Joakim Jørgensen is one half of a popular duo that posts some of the wackiest and most surrealistic pictures and videos on Instagram and Youtube under the name “The Mountain Concept“. One of their more challenging videos required him to carry a porcelain toilet bowl to the top of […]

Camilla Susann Haug – 2021

Explore Your Natural Musicality Camilla Susann Haug is a singer and songwriter from Mo i Rana in Norway. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance and a Post Graduate Diploma in Music Education from the Norwegian State Academy of Music. She works today as a professional singer. In her talk, “Explore your natural musicality”, […]

Eirik Skiftenes – 2021

Why I Sleep in a Hammock Outside Every Day Every night since June 2020, 10-year-old Norwegian Eirik Skiftenes has been doing something few others do (especially 10-year-olds). Eirik has been sleeping outside in a hammock on the porch by himself. He has faced some challenges of sleeping outside, such as cold weather and mosquito bites. […]

Esben Esther Pirelli Benestad – 2021

Transgifted Professor Emerit Esben Esther Pirelli Benestad is a Norwegian doctor and PhD researcher who specializes in clinical sexology. The retired professor from the University of Agder was one of the first professors specializing in sexology in Norway. A prominent advocate of transgender rights, Pirelli Benestad is this year’s recipient of the gold medal for […]

Pål Moddi Knutsen – 2021

What Makes a Song Banned Pål Moddi Knutsen is a singer, songwriter and activist from the island of Senja in Northern Norway. Under the artist name Moddi, he has released several albums and toured in more than thirty countries. “Unsongs” was his fifth studio album and major commercial success, although controversial when it was released […]

Dr Hans Ivar Hanevik – 2021

Assisted Reproduction and Human Evolution Hans Ivar Hanevik is a gynaecologist at Telemark Hospital where he sees patients who require medical assistance to become pregnant. Several of his patients need assisted reproduction technologies such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to conceive. As these technologies work at the core of human reproduction, Hans Ivar is interested in […]