High North Hero 2025: Who Will Be The Next High North Hero?
The Award of High North Hero 2024 was given to Dr. Lawson W. Brigham by Secretary General for the Arctic Mayors forum, Patti Bruns. Lawson is a Professor of Geography and Arctic Policy at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Senior Fellow at the Institute of the North. He accepted the award at The Arctic Congress in Bodø, Northern Norway. (Photo: Trine Jonassen)
The "High North Hero" award will soon be awarded during the High North Dialogue conference in Bodø, northern Norway. The selection committee assesses a "strong field of candidates" - and explains why this award is important in today's geopolitical landscape.
Since 2016, the High North Hero Award has celebrated people and organizations making life better in the Arctic.
Handed out by the High North Center for Business and Governance at Nord University in Norway, the award seek to recognize those who inspire action, find innovative solutions, and bring communities together to tackle the challenges of the region.
As the nomination deadline has passed, the real work begins for the selection committee.
Good nominations
"We have received many outstanding nominations, reflecting the dedication and innovation driving positive change in the Arctic", says prize coordinator Andrey Kazakov at the Nord University’s High North Center, in a press release.
Patti Bruns, Secretary General of the Arctic Mayors’ Forum and a member of the committee, explains what sets nominees apart:
Andrey Kazakov is coordinator of the High North Hero award at High North Center, Nord University. (Photo: Markus Thonhaugen / High North Center)
"A High North Hero is someone who fosters collaboration, uplifts Indigenous voices, and develops innovative solutions for the Arctic’s challenges."
Variety of fields
Bruns explains that this can mean anything from advancing sustainable practices and creating new knowledge about the Arctic to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. The focus is on real impact:
"These are people whose actions create tangible benefits for communities in the Arctic and inspire others to do the same."
Past winners have come from a variety of fields. What unites them is their significant and positive impact on life in the Arctic, a region that faces major global challenges, from climate change to shifting geopolitics. For Bruns, recognizing those making a difference is more than just an award.
Powerful message
"It sends a powerful message: that leadership, creativity, and collaboration matter, and they can drive meaningful change."
She says that by amplifying the work of the High North Heroes, the award seek to encourage others to dream big and take action, grounded in the values of respect, sustainability, and collaboration.
"We want young people to see the Arctic as a place of opportunity—a region where their ideas and actions can truly make a difference", Bruns says.
About the High North Hero award
Every year, the High North Center for Business and Governance at Nord University Business School awards the High North Hero prize to a person or organization contributing to development and growth in the Arctic. The award consists of NOK 50,000 and the award is conferred in relation to the international conference High North Dialogue, which takes place in Bodø. Nordland County funds the award.
High North News is an independent newspaper published by the High North Center at Nord University.
