The South Pole Medal ( no, Sydpolsmedaljen) or Medal Commemorating the 1910–1911 ''Fram'' Expedition to the South Pole (''Medalje til erindring om "Frams" ekspedisjon til Sydpolen 1910–1911'') is a Norwegian medal established by

Haakon VII of Norway Haakon VII (; born Prince Carl of Denmark; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was the King of Norway from November 1905 until his death in September 1957. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen as the son of the future Frederick V ...

on August 20, 1912 to recognize participants in

Roald Amundsen Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Amundsen bega ...

's South Pole expedition.Lampe, C. (ed.). 1927. ''Norges statskalender for året 1927''. Oslo: H. Aschehoug & Co (W. Nygaard), pp. 1053–1054. The medal was awarded to participants in the exhibition on the day it was instituted. The medal was designed by the engraver

Ivar Throndsen Ivar Throndsen (March 29, 1853 – January 18, 1932) was a Norwegian engraver. Throndsen was born in Nes, Akershus. He became an apprentice to the goldsmith Jacob Tostrup in Christiania (now Oslo) in 1870, and at the same time studied at the No ...

Description

The South Pole Medal was cast in gold, silver, and bronze,Støren, Ragnvald, & Hans Jørgen Holst. 1937. ''Myntgravør Ivar Throndsens medaljer, jetonger og merker''. Oslo : I kommisjon hos H. Aschehoug, p. 149. and it was awarded in gold.Lampe, C. (ed.). 1913. ''Norges statskalender for aaret 1913''. Kristiania: Aschehoug & Co (W. Nygaard), pp. 1093–1094. The obverse depicts King Haakon VII with his name and

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

. The obverse is identical to that of the

King's Medal of Merit The King's Medal of Merit (Norwegian: ''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') is a Norwegian award. It was instituted in 1908 to reward meritorious achievements in the fields of art, science, business, and public service. It is divided in two classes: gold ...

. The reverse depicts the southern hemisphere and the

Southern Cross Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for c ...

together with a field for the name of the medal recipient and the year 1911. The lower part is framed by crossed oak and laurel branches. The medal is topped by a royal crown. The medal ribbon is dark blue with a red stripe edged in white in the middle. The medal was accompanied by a certificate whose design was exactly the same as that awarded together with the King's Medal of Merit.

Recipients

The South Pole Medal was awarded to the following people: *

* Andreas Beck *

Olav Bjaaland Olav Bjaaland (5 March 1873 – 8 June 1961) was a Norwegian ski champion and polar explorer. In 1911, he was one of the first five men to reach the South Pole as part of Amundsen's South Pole expedition. Biography Olav Olavsen Bjaaland ...

* Hjalmar Fredrik Gjertsen * Ludvig A. Hansen * Helmer J. Hanssen *

Sverre Hassel Sverre Helge Hassel (30 July 1876 – 6 June 1928) was a Norwegian polar explorer and one of the first five people to reach the South Pole. Biography Sverre Hassel was born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. As soon as he was old enough, ...

Hjalmar Johansen Fredrik Hjalmar Johansen (15 May 1867 – 3 January 1913) was a Norwegian polar explorer. He participated on the first and third ''Fram'' expeditions. He shipped out with the Fridtjof Nansen expedition in 1893–1896, and accompanied Nansen to ...

* Halvardus Kristensen * Alexander Kutschin *

Adolf Lindstrøm Adolf Henrik Lindstrøm (May 17, 1866 – September 21, 1939) was a Norwegian chef and polar explorer. Lindstrøm was born in Hammerfest. He was of Kven origin. He took part in Otto Sverdrup's ''Fram'' expedition from 1898 to 1902. Later he trav ...

Thorvald Nilsen Thorvald Nilsen (6 August 1881 – 19 April 1940) was captain of the polar ship, the ''Fram'' and deputy commander during Roald Amundsen's expedition to Antarctica (1910–12). While Amundsen conquered the South Pole, the ''Fram'' was used f ...

Jacob Nødtvedt Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Ja ...

* Karenius B. Olsen *

Kristian Prestrud Kristian Prestrud (22 October 1881 – 11 November 1927) was a Norway, Norwegian naval officer and polar explorer who participated in Amundsen's South Pole expedition between 1910 and 1912. Prestrud was first officer of the ''Fram'' and leader of ...

Martin Rønne Martin Richard Rønne (September 15, 1861 – May 15, 1932) was a Norwegian sail maker and polar explorer. Rønne was born in Hamar. He took part in Roald Amundsen's expedition to Antarctica in 1910–1912, where he was one of those that remained ...

Jørgen Stubberud Jørgen Stubberud (17 April 1883 – 12 February 1980) was a Norwegian polar explorer who participated in the Amundsen Antarctica Expedition between 1910 and 1912. Stubberud was born at Bekkensten, Svartskog in Oppegård, in Akershus count ...

Knut Sundbeck Knut (Norwegian and Swedish), Knud (Danish), or Knútur (Icelandic) is a Scandinavian, German, and Dutch first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. In Germany both "Knut" and "Knud" are used. In Spanish and Portuguese Canuto is used whi ...

Oscar Wisting Oscar Adolf Wisting (6 June 1871 – 5 December 1936) was a Norwegian Naval officer and polar explorer. Together with Roald Amundsen he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. Biography Oscar Wisting was born in ...

References

{{reflist Orders, decorations, and medals of Norway Awards established in 1912 Amundsen's South Pole expedition