List of members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee

[2] It is no longer possible for active parliamentarians to sit on the committee, except for the last half year of parliamentary representation, if they have stated that they will not run for re-election.

The longest-serving members are Hans Jacob Horst and Aase Lionæs, who both served for 30 years.

Following the 1935 award to the German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, Johan Ludwig Mowinckel and Halvdan Koht withdrew.

[2] Following the 1973 award to Lê Đức Thọ and Henry Kissinger, Einar Hovdhaugen and Helge Rognlien withdrew.

Following the 1994 award to Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin, Kåre Kristiansen withdrew.

In March 2015, Jagland was demoted as a chairman, the first such move since the establishment of the Committee, but remained member.

There was no official reason given for demotion, but a lot of criticism was aimed at him for awarding the Prize to Barack Obama, to the EU, and to Liu Xiaobo.

[10][11] Since 2015, the secretary has been Olav Njølstad (born 1957), director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, distinguished historian, biographer and novelist, and professor of history at the University of Oslo.

He also was a member of the secretariat to the commission set by the Norwegian Parliament to critically evaluate the response to the 2011 Norway attacks.

A white and green room with a wooden table in the middle, surrounded by turquoise and wooden chairs. The walls are lined with portraits and have two dark, wooden doors.
The committee meeting room at the Norwegian Nobel Institute
The first meeting of the committee in 1897. From the left Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson , John Lund , Hans Jacob Horst , Jørgen Løvland , Christian Lange and Carl Berner .
Berit Reiss-Andersen , current chair of the Committee since 2017
Head and shoulders of a man in his seventies talking into a mounted microphone. He is conservatively dressed in a suite and wears round glasses.
Francis Sejersted was chair from 1991 to 1999.
Gunnar Berge was chair from 2000 to 2002.
Half-portrait of a man in his seventies looking away from the viewer. He wears a suit and glasses.
Ole Danbolt Mjøs was chair from 2003 to 2008.
Two men in suits standing in three-quarter portrait. The man in his forties to the right looks proud, while holding a diploma and a medal in a case. The man in his sixties to the left looks satisfied.
Thorbjørn Jagland , chair of the Committee in 2009–2015, awarding the 2009 Prize to Barack Obama