Researchers and teachers honoured by the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities
From the left: Anne-Sofie Gräslund, Erik Lindberg, Måns Magnusson, Maria Ågren. Photo: Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, Mikael Wallerstedt, Uppsala University, Tobias Sterner, Uppsala University.
Every year, the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities (Kungl. Vitterhetsakademien) honours distinguished researchers and teachers in the humanities and social sciences. The recipients of the 2026 awards and medals have now been announced, among them six recipients at Uppsala University.
Anne-Sofie Gräslund, Professor at the Department of Archaeology, Ancient History and Conservation, is awarded the Academy's Gustaf Adolf Medal with the King's consent (“Akademiens Gustaf Adolfsmedalj med Konungens medgivande”) for her internationally recognised research on the Viking Age, including the religious shift during the Viking Age and women of the period and their role in society and social change.
Erik Lindberg, Professor at the Department of History, is awarded the Uno Lindgren Prize for his research on the Swedish road network, primarily roads, road networks and road maintenance from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century.
Måns Magnusson, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Statistics, is awarded the Rettig Prize for his leading research on methods for large-scale text analysis, including making available and analysing Swedish parliamentary publications, with applications to key research questions in the humanities and social sciences.
Maria Ågren, Professor at the Department of History, is awarded The Academy's Gold Medal of Merit (“Akademiens förtjänstmedalj i guld”), for her extremely valuable contribution to the Academy's Administrative Committee and for her careful and forward-looking work as permanent secretary.
Awards for outstanding academic work are presented to Karl Ekeman, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Literature and Rhetoric, for his thesis In Want of a Sovereign: Metapolitics and the Populist Formation of the Alt-Right, and Vincenza Ferrara, Staff Scientist at the Department of Archaeology, Ancient History and Conservation, for her thesis Historical Olive Agroecosystem of Sicily: Operationalising Biocultural Heritage for Sustainable Futures.
Karl Ekeman and Vincenza Ferrara. Photo: Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities.
This year's prizes and medals will be awarded at the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities' formal gathering at the House of Nobility (Riddarhuset) in Stockholm on 20 March 2026.
Johan Ahlenius