The Benjamin Prize was established as a Norwegian prize to counter racism in 2002. The prize is awarded in memory of Benjamin Hermansen, who at the age of 15 years, was murdered in Holmlia, Søndre Nordstrand in Oslo, Norway. The death was racially motivated.
The prize is awarded each year on 27 January in conjunction with the commemoration of the Holocaust. On this date Soviet forces liberated Nazi concentration camps in Auschwitz and Birkenau. The prize is awarded to a school that actively works against racism and discrimination.
The work for which the award is given is to be characterized by:
The prize consists of 100,000 kroner, and a miniature bust of Benjamin Hermansen on Holmlia. Ivar Sjaastad created the sculpture which is included as part of the award.
The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training awards the prize. The jury which determines the recipient consists of Marit Hermansen (Benjamin’s mother), and representatives from the Antiracism Center, the Sami Parliament of Norway, Union of Education Norway, Parents Committee for Primary and Lower Secondary Education, and the Norwegian Center for Studies of Holocaust and Religious Minorities.