​​​Congratulations to Trond Bakkevig, who has been awarded the Gunnar Sønsteby Memorial Prize​ for his work with dialogue between religious leaders in the Middle East. He is awarded the prize alongside Deeyah Khan, a human rights activist and film-maker. The prize is awarded by the Gunnar Sønsteby Memorial Fund, to "people who are corageous defenders of fundamental democratic values" [mennesker som fremstår som modige forsvarere av de grunnleggende verdier i vårt demokrati].Trond Bakkevig has been associated with PRIO since 2005 and is an Associate Senior Researcher at PRIO since 2014.​

Gunnar​ Sønsteby (​1918-2012) was a Norwegian resistance fighter during World War II and the most highly decorated Norwegian citizen. ​​His memorial prize was awarded the first time in 2015.