The biggest streaming platform for audiobooks in Norway, Storytel, awarded the Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted this year’s honorary award.
Among the reasons for the award, Storytel highlighted the Association of the Blind’s role in establishing audiobooks as a format in the country:
“Long before streaming services and smartphones became commonplace, the winner recognised the power inherent in reading stories aloud. Already in 1950, the recipient laid the foundation by establishing a dedicated audiobook library. Through creative initiatives – such as the national lottery in 1955 where the grand prize was cars with radios – funds were raised to produce the very first 'talking books.'[…] Thank you for giving books a voice when no one else did, and congratulations on a very well-deserved award!”
President of the association, Terje Andre Olsen, was present at the awards and received the trophy and flowers to enthusiastic applause from the crowd.
“We are very surprised and think it is great to receive this award. The audiobook means a lot to us, and this is a recognition of that. When you cannot read regular print, the audiobook is very important. It makes literature accessible to many more of us”, he said to the press after the award.
Thea Bårdsdatter Foslie