[1] It is named in honor of Swedish author Stig Dagerman.
[1] The award is given to a person who, or an organization that, in the spirit of Stig Dagerman, supports the significance and availability of the "free word" (freedom of speech), promoting inter-cultural understanding and empathy.
[2] It was inspired by Dagerman's poem En dag om året that sets forth a vision of peace for humanity by imagining one day each year when the world is free from violence.
[2] The award ceremony takes place the first weekend in June each year at Laxön in Älvkarleby.
[2] On two occasions, 2004 and 2008, the prize winner subsequently won the Nobel Prize in Literature in the same year.