The Arkprijs van het Vrije Woord (Ark Prize of the Free Word) is a symbolic award created in 1951 by

Herman Teirlinck Herman Louis Cesar Teirlinck (Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, 24 February 1879 – Beersel-Lot, 4 February 1967) was a Belgian writer. He was the fifth child and only son of Isidoor Teirlinck and Oda van Nieuwenhove, who were both teachers in Brussels. As a ...

and the editorial team of the ''Nieuw Vlaams Tijdschrift'' (New Flemish magazine) to counteract ideologically driven restrictions on the

freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...

. Teirlinck wanted to spotlight those persons who actively promote the freedom of opinion. No financial reward is associated with the prize. The names of the laureates are engraved in an art object (the ''Ark'') kept in the AMVC in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

Laureates of the ''Arkprijs van het Vrije Woord''

*1951 Christine D'Haen for 'Gedichten' *1952

Hugo Claus Hugo Maurice Julien Claus (; 5 April 1929 – 19 March 2008) was a leading Belgian author who published under his own name as well as various pseudonyms. Claus' literary contributions spanned the genres of drama, the novel, and poetry; he also l ...

for ''De Metsiers'' *1953 Maurice D'Haese for ''De Heilige Gramschap'' *1954 Frans Goddemaere for 'Nola' *1955

Jos De Haes Jos De Haes ( Leuven, 22 April 1920-Jette, 1 March 1974) was a Flemish writer and poet. Bibliography * Het andere wezen (1942) * Pindaros. Pythische oden (1945) * Ellende van het woord (1946) * Gedaanten (1954) * Richard Minne (1956) * Reisbr ...

for 'Gedaanten' *1956 Frans De Bruyn for 'Tekens in Steen' *1957

Albert Bontridder Albert Bontridder (4 April 1921 – 13 December 2015) was a Belgian architect and writer, born in Anderlecht. In 1953 he married Olga Dohnalova, a Czech refugee, and together they had two children. He graduated as an architect in 1942. As an archi ...

for ''Dood Hout'' *1958

Ivo Michiels Henri Paul René Ceuppens (8 January 1923 – 7 October 2012), who wrote under the pseudonym Ivo Michiels, was a Belgian writer. Biography Michiels was born in Mortsel. During World War II he was employed as a nurse in a hospital in Lübeck ...

for 'Het Afscheid' *1959

Libera Carlier Libera Carlier (19 January 1926 in Nijlen – 25 April 2007 in Ekeren) was a Belgian seaman and writer. He attended the ''Hogere Zeevaartschool'' (E: higher seagoing school) and was a member of the resistance during World War II. When sixteen years ...

for 'Action Station - Go ! *1960

Ward Ruyslinck Raymond De Belser (17 June 1929 – 3 October 2014), pseudonym Ward Ruyslinck, was a Belgian writer. He is the son of Leo De Belser and Germaine Nauwelaers. His father was a librarian at an oil company, and Ward Ruyslinck grew up in a Roman Catho ...

for ''De madonna met de buil'' *1961 Hugues C. Pernath for 'Het Masker Man' *1962 Georges Hebbelinck for 'De Journalist' *1963

Paul Snoek Edmond André Coralie Schietekat (17 December 1933 – 19 October 1981) pseudonym Paul Snoek, was a Belgian poet. He was a son of Omer William Schietekat, a textile manufacturer, and Paula Sylvia Snoeck. In 1961, he married Maria Magdalena Vereeck ...

for 'Richelieu' *1964 Daniel Robberechts for 'Zesmaal' *1965 Willy Roggeman for 'Blues for Glazen Blazers' *1966 Astère M. Dhondt for 'God in Vlaanderen' *1967

Jef Geeraerts Jozef Adriaan Anna Geeraerts (23 February 1930 – 11 May 2015), better known as Jef Geeraerts, was a Belgian writer. Geeraerts was born in Antwerp. After his studies in political and administrative sciences at the Colonial University of Belgiu ...

for ''De Troglodieten'' *1968 C.C. Krijgelmans for 'Homunculi' *1969

Patrick Conrad Patrick Conrad (born 16 July 1945 in Antwerp) is a Flemish poet, screenwriter and novelist, and one of the founders of The Pink Poets. He also directed about twenty movies for cinema and television, including – selected for the Cannes Festival ...

for 'Mercantile Marine Engineering' *1970

Roger van de Velde Roger van de Velde (13 February 1925 - 30 May 1970) was a Belgian author and journalist, known for his collections of short stories written while he was interred in psychiatric institutions. Early and professional life Roger van de Velde was born ...

for ''Recht op Antwoord'' *1971 Eddy Van Vliet for ''Columbus Tevergeefs'' *1972

Marcel van Maele Marcel van Maele (Bruges, 10 April 1931 – Antwerp, 24 July 2009) was a Belgian playwright and sculptor. He was one of the leading figures of the magazine ''Labris'' (founded in 1962), in which an experimental style was prominent. He was a me ...

for ''Ik ruik mensenvlees, zei de reus'' *1973

Rob Goswin Rob Goossens (b. Schriek, 1943) pseudonym Rob Goswin is a Belgian artist and poet. He is a teacher at the Royal Technical Athenaeum in Westerlo. In 1968, he founded, together with painter Jef Van Grieken and writer-actor Gerd de Ley, the magazin ...

for 'Vanitas Vanitas' *1974

Fernand Auwera Ferdinand Van der Auwera (26 November 1929, in Antwerp – 27 October 2015), pseudonym Fernand Auwera is a Belgian writer. His fragile health during his youth and its impact on his life (solitude), had an effect on his first literary work. Life ...

for 'Zelfportret met Gesloten Ogen' *1975

Internationale Nieuwe Scene "The Internationale" (french: "L'Internationale", italic=no, ) is an international anthem used by various communist and socialist groups; currently, it serves as the official anthem of the Communist Party of China. It has been a standard of th ...

for 'Mistero Buffo' *1976

Leonard Nolens Leon Helena Sylvain Nolens (born 11 April 1947 in Bree), pseudonym Leonard Nolens, is a Belgian poet and diary writer. He graduated from the ''Hoger Instituut voor Vertalers en Tolken'' in Antwerp. Nolens lives and works in Antwerp. Themes in hi ...

for ''Twee Vormen van Zwijgen'' *1977

Freddy de Vree Freddy de Vree (3 October 1939 in Antwerp – 3 July 2004 in Antwerp), pseudonym Marie-Claire de Jonghe, was a Belgian poet, literary critic and radiomaker. The past and death play an important role in his oeuvre. He was a friend of W.F. Hermans and ...

for 'Steden en Sentimenten' *1978 Roger M.J. De Neef for 'Gestorven Getal' *1979 Frans Boenders for 'Denken in Tweespraak' *1980 Lucienne Stassaert for ''Parfait Amour'' *1981

Robbe De Hert Robin François De Hert (20 September 1942 – 24 August 2020) was a Belgian film director. De Hert won the André Cavens Award for Best Film in 2000, with his film ''Lijmen/Het Been''. He died on 24 August 2020 at the age of 77 due to complic ...

for his movies. *1982 Maurice De Wilde for 'De Nieuwe Orde' *1983

Bert Van Hoorick Bert Van Hoorick (31 January 1915 – 19 February 2000) was a Belgian politician and writer. He was a member of the Belgian parliament from 1946 up to 1949 and from 1958 until 1976. When 18 years old, he joined the Belgian socialist party ...

for ''In Tegenstroom'' *1984

Leo Pleysier Leo Pleysier (b. Rijkevorsel, 28 May 1945) is a Belgian writer. Bibliography * Mirliton, een proeve van homofonie (1971) * Niets dan schreeuw (1972) * Negenenvijftig (1975) * Bladschaduwen (1976) * En wat zullen we over het sterven zeggen? ( ...

for ''Kop in Kas'' *1985 Daniel Buyle for his

BRT BRT may refer to: Transportation * Block register territory, a method for dispatching trains * British Rail Telecommunications * Brookhaven Rail Terminal * Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, a former transit holding company in New York City * Bro ...

-Journalism *1986

Tone Brulin Tone Brulin (born 11 May 1926 as Antoon Maria Albert van den Eynde – 15 March 2019) was a Belgian playwright and stage director; drama teacher from Belgium. Career Brulin studied scenography at La Cambre (1943–1946) in Brussels. Its dire ...

for his theatre work. *1987

De Morgen ''De Morgen'' (Dutch for ''The Morning'') is a Flemish newspaper with a circulation of 53,860. The paper is published in Antwerp, Belgium. History and profile ''De Morgen'' originates from a merger in 1978 of two socialist newspapers ' (meaning ...

and Paul Goossens for their journalism *1988

Leo Apostel Leo Apostel (Antwerp, 4 September 1925 – Ghent, 10 August 1995) was a Belgian philosopher and professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Ghent University. Apostel was an advocate of interdisciplinary research and the bridging of the gap b ...

for his philosophical work *1989

Stefan Hertmans Stefan Hertmans (born 1951 in Ghent, Belgium) is a Flemish Belgian writer. He was head of a study centre at University College Ghent and affiliated researcher of the Ghent University. He won the Ferdinand Bordewijk Prijs in 2002 for the novel '' ...

for ''Bezoekingen'' *1990 André De Beul for his political courage *1991 Frie Leysen for ten year

DeSingel deSingel is a Belgian arts center. It is located on the Desguinlei in Antwerp. Its various stages, concert halls and exhibition spaces offer a manifold program of music, dance, theater and architecture. It is also home to the Royal Conservatory ...

*1992 Paula D'Hondt for her work for immigrants *1993

Jan Blommaert Jan Blommaert (4 November 1961 – 7 January 2021) was a Belgian sociolinguist and linguistic anthropologist, Professor of Language, Culture and Globalization and Director of the Babylon Center at Tilburg University, the Netherlands. He also hel ...

and Jef Verschueren for 'Het Belgisch Migrantendebat' *1994 Gerard Alsteens (GAL) for his graphical work *1995

Tom Lanoye Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

for 'Maten en Gewichten' *1996 Gie van den Berghe for 'Getuigen' *1997

Wannes Van de Velde Wannes Van de Velde (29 April 1937 – 10 November 2008), born Willy Cecile Johannes Van de Velde, in Antwerp, was a Flemish folk singer, guitarist, musician, poet, puppeteer and artist. He is most famous for his songs ''Ik Wil deze Nacht in de ...

for his music *1998 Pjeroo Roobjee for his art *1999 Sophie de Schaepdrijver for ''De Groote Oorlog'' *2000

ZAK Zak may refer to: People * Zak (surname), a surname of Russian origin * Żak, a Polish surname * Žák, a Czech surname * Zak (given name) Fictional characters * Zak Adama, in the '' Battlestar Galactica'' franchise * Zak Dingle, in UK TV ''Emme ...

for his cartoons *2001 Ludo Abicht for ''Intelligente Emotie'' *2002 Pol Hoste for 'De Lucht naar Mirabel' *2003 for his contribution to the legalisation of

euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eut ...

*2004

Rik Pinxten Rik Pinxten (born 12 March 1947 in Antwerp) is a professor and researcher in cultural anthropology at Ghent University. Between 2003 and 2010 he was chairman of the Liberal Humanist Association of Flanders, the Flemish section of The Humanist Ass ...

for 'De Artistieke Samenleving' *2005

Christine Van Broeckhoven Christine Van Broeckhoven (born 9 April 1953) is a Belgian molecular biologist and professor in Molecular genetics at the University of Antwerp ( Antwerp, Belgium). She is also leading the VIB Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Antwe ...

, molecular geneticist *2006

Marleen Temmerman Marleen Temmerman (born 24 March 1953 in Lokeren, Belgium) is a Belgian gynaecologist, professor and former Senator, currently heading the Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health at Aga Khan University in Nairobi, Kenya. Biography T ...

for 'Onrust in de Onderbuik' *2007 Roma vzw *2008

David Van Reybrouck David Grégoire Van Reybrouck (born 11 September 1971, in Bruges) is a Belgian cultural historian, archaeologist and author. He writes historical fiction, literary non-fiction, novels, poetry, plays and academic texts. He has received several Du ...

for 'Missie' *2009 Luc Huyse for ''Seismograaf van de samenleving'' *2010 Geert Buelens: ''Europa Europa'' *2011 Philippe Van Parijs for his sociopolitical and ethical theories *2012 Peter Holvoet-Hanssen for 'De Reis naar Inframundo' *2013

Paul De Grauwe Paul De Grauwe (; born 18 July 1946) is a Belgian economist and John Paulson Professor in European Political Economy at the London School of Economics and Political Science as head of the European Institute. He is also professor emeritus in inter ...

for reconsidering traditional economic models and arguing against the perversities of raw capitalism *2014 Jeroen Olyslaegers for Winst/Occupy Antwerpen *2015 Fikry El Azzouzi for ''Drarrie in de nacht'' (roman) en ''Reizen Jihad'' (theater) *2016 Reinhilde Decleir for ''Tutti Fratelli'' *2017 , research journalism *2018 PEN Vlaanderen, commitment to free speech *2019

Anuna De Wever Anuna De Wever Van Der Heyden (born 16 June 2001) is a Belgian climate activist and was one of the leading figures in the School strike for climate movement in Belgium. Early life and activism De Wever was born in Mortsel, Belgium. With Kyra ...

and Kyra Gantois, initiators of the Flemish Youth for Climate movement. *2020 Jozef Deleu, founding editor of the reviews '' Ons Erfdeel'' and ''Het liegend konijn''. *2021 Caroline Pauwels

References

* Lukas De Vos (red.): ''Een Onberaamd Verbond. 50 Jaar Arkprijs van het Vrije Woord''. Antwerpen, De Vrienden van de Zwarte Panter 2000, 288 blz., ill. * Lukas De Vos (red.): "Buiten het Bereik van Farisese Handen. 60 Jaar Arkprijs van het Vrije Woord". Antwerpen, De Vrienden van de Zwarte Panter, 112 blz., ill. {{DEFAULTSORT:Arkprijs van het Vrije Woord Human rights awards Belgian literary awards Awards established in 1951 1951 establishments in Belgium Awards by magazines

Laureates of the ''Arkprijs van het Vrije Woord''

See also

References