Scanorama, the international inflight magazine of Scandinavian Airlines, proudly presents the Scandinavian of the Year C

The Scanorama Awards is comprised of the following categories: Business, Culinary, Culture, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and the honorary mention Scandinavian of the Year, i.e. the Scandinavian who our readers consider to have been the foremost representative for Scandinavia and has had a great deal of international attention for his/her achievements during the past year.

The reason for the establishment of the prizes is that Scanorama is the only international magazine that regularly profiles the most exciting, successful and acclaimed Scandinavians. Our ambition is for the awards to strengthen Scandinavia’s profile and encourage and reward the talented Scandinavians who work in their native countries or abroad.

The Scandinavian of the Year prize is designed by Swede Jonas Torstensson, renowned for using recycled material in his art.

Enclosed you will find the cover of Scanorama’s December/January issue.

Scanorama Awards 2004
Winners and Runners-up:

Scandinavian of the Year
Carolina Klüft (Sweden)
Her personal qualities are every bit as impressive as her sporting talents. She constantly reminds us that, at bottom, sport is a game, that she does it because she thinks it’s fun. Refusing to succumb to the seriousness that has been the downfall of many a sporting favorite, Klüft has a cheerful disposition and a tongue-in-cheek approach even when the Olympics are at their height. She describes herself as ‘just a little girl in a big, big world,’ but this little girl is unique and her way of being creates hope for the future.

Business
Winner: Petter Stordalen (Norway)
Following a successful start in business as the owner of the classy Steen & Strøm shopping center chain, Stordalen is the new big name in the Scandinavian hotel world. In 2004, as CEO of Choice Hotels Scandinavia – in which he owns 45 percent – Stordalen revitalized hotel accommodation for travelers, reinstating basic core values such as design, consideration and individualism.

Runners-up:
Christian Stadil (Denmark)
In a short period of time, Stadil has transformed the once-dull sports brand Hummel into a favorite of celebrities worldwide. In just five years, losses of several million have been turned into profits of the same order. In 2004, he was awarded the trade magazine Sportswear International’s prize for the world’s best women’s sportswear collection.

Niels Boserup (Denmark)
President of Copenhagen International airport, named the most efficient in Europe by the Air Transport Research Society after meeting passenger demands for increased service. Boserup presented an unexpectedly strong interim report for the first six months of 2004, consolidated profits before tax soaring by 45 percent compared to the same period in 2003.

Culinary
Winner: Inger Rosenfeld (Norway)
The successful entrepreneur behind the Blind Cow Cheese Co., Norway’s smallest dairy. In a country where green clover fields and grazing cows are as common as a cup of breakfast coffee, it has surprised many that cheese exports have so far been restricted to the sweet, nutty Jarlsberg variety. It is, therefore, a source of great pleasure that Blind Cow Cheese is now ringing up strong sales at French and American cheese shops, and food fairs.

Runners-up:
Jan Vardøen (Norway)
Without Vardøen, Oslo’s Grünerløkka district would never have become the trendy oasis it is today. This unassuming businessman with places such as Bar Boca, Brocante, Hotel Havana and Los Lobos to his credit, does not, under any circumstances, like to be called the king of Grünerløkka, although that’s what he is.

Christian Sandefeld (Sweden)
At the Aquarium restaurant in London, Sandefeld showcased his country’s cuisine at its very best. Moreover, he received the blessing of the WWF for using fish from sustainable sources. His new project, Deep, situated in Chelsea’s Imperial Wharf, continues in the same vein, serving fresh fish caught the same day by fishermen at Lake Vänern in southern Sweden and then flown over to the U.K.

Culture

Winner: Evren Tekinoktay (Denmark)
An artist of Turkish descent, Tekinoktay, 32, made her mark both in Denmark and abroad over the past 12 months with a strongly individual style. A year ago she opened an exclusive lifestyle and underwear boutique and later created the official poster for the Copenhagen Jazz Festival. Last but not least, advertising guru and art collector Charles Saatchi bought two of her works at her debut show in London this summer.

Runners-up:
Erika Sunnegårdh (Sweden)
Last spring, before she had even performed on an opera stage, the Metropolitan Opera in New York gave her a contract. Almost simultaneously, she signed for opera houses in Malmö, south Sweden, and Umeå, north Sweden (NorrlandsOperan). Finally, a fantastic 2004 culminated in an acclaimed debut as Turandot in Puccini’s opera of the same name.

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary (Denmark)
On a summer tour of their country, the future king and his Australian bride chose to visit the Odense suburb of Vollsmose, where some 60% of the 10,000 residents are foreign-born. The visit showed the world that immigrants and refugees are a vital part of the population, an important contribution to Danish culture.

Design
Winner: Malene Birger (Denmark)
In less than a year, Danish clothes designer Birger succeeded in selling her collection to 300 shops in eight countries and won Denmark’s prestigious “Guldknappen” (Golden Button) fashion award. Her creations are of a high international standard, exhibiting a sophisticated, sexy look with a strong concept – to promote women’s personalities, both inwardly and outwardly, through individual clothing styles.

Runners-up:
Arne Nerjordet and Carlos Zachrison (Norway)
Scandinavian design duo Arne and Carlos won recognition from fashion pros worldwide after they set up a tailor’s shop in an abandoned rail station 190 kilometers north of Olso. Here they create high fashion for the dream woman. Their tailoring combines Nordic freshness, romanticism and playfulness in a peculiar yet beloved way.

Camilla Palmertz & Co (Sweden)
Nine female designers created Volvo’s Your Concept Car, the ultimate vehicle to meet women’s needs (which, to be honest, also meet men’s needs). Ergonomics, storage, interior, colors and materials were all designed for optimum functionality. Some of the best features will be integrated in series-produced Volvo cars.

Entertainment
Winner: Maria Mena (Norway)
In the female singer-songwriter pop tradition that has blossomed in Norway in recent times, Mena is this year’s brightest star. Often, her songs deal with teenage life in a very direct manner, but she also manages to touch her audience with a memorable voice, captivating songs and a winning smile. A long, hot summer in the United States was crowned with an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman.

Runners-up:
Stig Thorsboe and Charlotte Sieling (Denmark)
The Danish TV series Krøniken (Better Times) has succeeded in getting Scandinavian viewers to focus on their common history and individual destinies. To portray the lives of four people over a quarter of a century is remarkable, but to do so with dramatic, true-to-life filming and accurate period settings is impressive indeed.

Maria Andersson and Pelle Almqvist (Sweden)
As front figures of, respectively, Sahara Hotnights and The Hives, the two hottest Swedish rock bands in years, Andersson and Almqvist have put their homeland on the world map. Sharing the same stage on a successful tour of the U.S. this summer, they are also a couple in private.

Sports
Winner: Petter Solberg (Norway)
To be made so happy simply by driving a car! Rally ace Solberg – world champion in 2003 – has with his victory in Rally Japan, where he became a folk hero in the process, and second place in the World Cup demonstrated that he is a driver you can rely on. He has also attracted a host of new rally fans thanks to a welcoming and friendly attitude seldom seen in motor sports.

Runners-up:
Frida Wallberg (Sweden)
Professional boxing is forbidden in Sweden, but that didn’t stop Wallberg, 21. She just crossed the border and signed with promoter Bettina Palle in Copenhagen. Making her pro debut in February 2004, the “bloodthirsty elf” won three out of three bouts (one by knockout) to become the hottest contender for the women’s European Lightweight Championship.

Stig Åvall Severinsen (Denmark)
With a lung volume of 10.4 liters, the world’s best freediver has set three world records during the past year. In 2003, in Venezuela, he dived 61 meters without breathing. He also dives in liquids other than water: In January this year he remained submerged for more than three minutes in phosphorescent ice-blue liquor in a specially designed pool. Cool!

Congratulations to all winners and runners-up!
The jury has consisted of Thomas Sjöberg (Scanorama), Kristin Næss (Reis og Se, Norway), Magnus Lindvall (Upp och Ner, Sweden), Sofia Wean (Wean PR, Copenhagen), and Carl A. Karlsson (Scandinavian Airlines). The choice has been made by each respective editor on the basis of nominations from readers and contributors to the magazines.

For further information, please contact Thomas Sjöberg, Scanorama, at: tel: +46 8 797 03 72 or
+46 709 97 03 72, awards@sasmedia.se