Scholarships in culture and sports were awarded
Today, Region Norrbotten awarded scholarships in culture and sports, a total of seven scholarships. In addition to four cultural creators receiving the Rubus Arcticus scholarship, one of Sweden's largest cultural scholarships awarded since 1995, an honorary and merit scholarship and two sports scholarships were also awarded.
The four Rubus Arcticus scholarship recipients will receive SEK 100 each.
Zakarias Lekberg is a returning songwriter, producer and artist who has received several awards for his music. He has also been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards for his timely and accurate reflections on society in his lyrics.
– It's incredibly honoring and of course very powerful when you get noticed in this way, says Zakarias "Zacke" Lekberg, who recently chose to move up to his hometown of Luleå.
– The timing is good for me. We have been through a pandemic where we have lived in a food ban. It is clear that there are many gaps to fill.
"Zacke" chose to move home and open his own studio in Luleå after eleven years in Stockholm. During the pandemic, he managed to release three singles and a brand new album – something that was not a given.
– We've been thinking about whether it was the right time to release the new album. It's a lot of work with an album and there was a plan for it that couldn't be implemented. But I ended up wanting to go for it, he says.
The scholarship now gives him breathing space to continue writing and creating his music that touches and engages. Always with Norrbotten as his base and with "the cousin from the country" at the center.
– I'm currently writing new material in my new studio. Then I want to go on tour and play and meet the people out there.
"Gives writing time"
For Linnea Axelsson, who in her fiction portrays the Sami experience in the wider society, the scholarship also came as a positive surprise.
– It feels fun and made me very happy. It's writing time, which means I get the opportunity to continue writing, says Linnea Axelsson, who is currently working on proofreading a new novel that will be released in March.
– I've been working on it since 2018 so it will be very nice to see it released, she says.
Gives freedom
Andreas R Andersson describes the pandemic year that has passed as a year like any other. And now he is receiving the Rubus Arcticus scholarship for the art field of visual and decorative arts.
– It's been like a normal year in the life of an artist. You live in some kind of constant crisis. But I've been lucky to have had a number of exhibitions, assignments and artistic projects. This is of course really fun. An honor, he says and continues:
– It opens up new ways of working. It gives me a completely different freedom as an artist. Now I can focus on creating.
Known from Klungan
Actor and screenwriter Sven Björklund, who has achieved great success around the country with his unique characters, is now receiving the Rubus Arcticus scholarship for the art field of theater. His unique characters from the Norrbotten soil create recognition and combine melancholy with great comedy. Sven Björklund gives a unique voice to a county on the periphery of Sweden's theater stages, on radio, TV and social media.
– I was woken up by the call that I would receive the Rubus Arcticus scholarship. It was an incredibly wonderful way to wake up. It feels great. Really great fun, says Sven Björklund, who has had tough years in the grip of the pandemic.
– It hasn't been that fun. There's been very little work. There's been a little film, a little Lasse Maja and an exhibition. No big jobs. So this scholarship really came at the right time.
An exciting 2022 awaits Sven Björklund, who, together with William Spetz, will tour the country with the play "Don't Help Me".
– I'm currently rehearsing with William Spetz for the premiere in Umeå. Then a tour awaits. An incredibly fun job with a fantastic guy. William writes so well, has good speed, great energy and is very wise and funny, says Sven Björklund.
Rooted in folk music
Music enthusiast Dan Engman receives the Honorary and Merit Scholarship of SEK 50 for his invaluable contributions to the music scene in the county. He is strongly rooted in the folk music tradition as well as a musician, composer, educator and leader and has successfully initiated and started folk music education at Framnäs Folk College.
– Fantastic. I wouldn't say it's overwhelming, but not far from it. It's big, he says and continues:
– There are so many who fight from the backyard league to the elite level who make great contributions that actually deserve this award. And I am one of them. In that way, I am not surprised. Someone has to get it.
Dan Engman has also been an enthusiast in several music associations and has run festivals while touring and recording albums with Euskefeurat.
– I'm currently rowing for the Pitefolk World Music Festival and also producing afternoon concerts with Euskefeurat. So I have what I'm doing, says Dan Engman.
World leader in orienteering
This year's Sports Scholarship of 50 SEK goes to an athlete who has achieved exceptionally good results in several sports. Establishing herself in the world's elite in orienteering as a junior is very rare, in a sport where experience weighs heavily. In 000, Hanna Lundberg has truly proven that she belongs to the absolute world top in orienteering.
– It feels great that the people of Norrbotten believe in me, she says.
Although orienteering is her main sport, she also continues to compete and perform in cross-country skiing and ski orienteering. This makes Hanna one of Norrbotten's biggest young sports stars.
– I dream of joining the squad for the next World Orienteering Championships, and I believe in myself and my chances of getting there. With that in mind, this award obviously means a lot. It's small margins that make the difference, and thanks to this money, I'll have even better opportunities to perform. It could actually be decisive, says Hanna Lundberg.
20 years of floorball
This year's Sports Leadership Scholarship goes to Conny Björnfot, Chairman of the Norrbotten Floorball Association. An award that came as a shock.
– It's really not something I expected. I'm probably someone who works more quietly. But it's incredibly fun to receive this type of appreciation. A real energy boost that makes you want to keep doing what you're passionate about even more, says Conny Björnfot, who has worked in floorball for over 20 years.
Motivations, contact details and pictures
Rubus Arcticus four scholarship recipients of 100 SEK/person
Andreas R Andersson, Visual and Design Arts
With Norrbotten as a starting point for an internationally relevant artistry, Andreas R Andersson repeatedly approaches the cultural and political landscape of our time through large-scale and site-specific installations. The content of the works is mixed with personal experiences and extends over time - between current events and historical depictions. Issues that concern an expanding arms and food industry, freedom of expression and consumption are depicted in Andreas R Andersson's works. Through a variety of expressions, the viewer is invited to look again to understand how the works have been constructed, regardless of whether they are digital or physical.
Zakarias “Zacke” Lekberg, Music
Zakarias Lekberg is a returning songwriter, producer and artist who has been recognized several times for his music. He has also been nominated for a Grammy multiple times for his timely and accurate reflections of society in his lyrics. Four albums that have all been written and produced in Norrbotten and more than 50 million streams on Spotify speak for themselves! The lyrics and music touch and engage. Always with Norrbotten as a base and with the "cousin from the country" at the center.
Linnea Axelsson, Literature
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Press photo, profile
In her fiction, Linnea Axelsson depicts the Sami experience in the larger society. In the poignant and at the same time beautiful lyrical epic Ædnan, she portrays the history of her people from the early 1900th century until the Girjas verdict in Gällivare District Court. Through the lives and destinies of two families, the wounds that Swedish internal colonialism has inflicted on the Sami people are exposed in straightforward and effective language. In her future work, Linnea Axelsson intends to continue to investigate the Norrbotten landscape - the land, the earth, the soul of the place - to which she is attached with roots that originate from her nomadic Sami grandmother. It is all about capturing the gaze reflected in the eye of the great otter.
Sven Björklund, Theatre
Sven Björklund has achieved great success around the country with his acting and screenwriting. His unique characters from the Norrbotten soil create recognition and combine melancholy with great comedy. Sven Björklund gives a unique voice to a county on the periphery of Sweden's theater stages, on radio, TV and social media. His artistic expression is like a colorful northern lights; magical and unpredictable. Which makes us amazed and amazed, feel a sense of belonging with the big and the small at the same time as laughter bubbles within us.
Honorary and merit scholarship, SEK 50
Dan Engman
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Photo: Håkan Johansson
He is strongly rooted in the folk music tradition as well as a musician, composer, educator and leader. This year's honorary and merit scholarship recipient Dan Engman has truly left an imprint on the entire region's musical life. He has successfully initiated and started folk music education at Framnäs Folk High School. Dan Engman has also been an enthusiast in several music associations and has run festivals while touring and recording albums with Euskefeurat.
Sports scholarship, SEK 50
Hanna Lundberg, Orientation
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Press image, environment
Hanna Lundberg is an athlete far beyond the ordinary who has achieved exceptionally good results in several sports. Establishing herself in the world's elite in orienteering as a junior is very rare, this is a sport where experience weighs heavily. In 2021, she has truly proven that she belongs to the absolute world top in orienteering. Although orienteering is her main sport, she also continues to compete and perform in cross-country skiing and ski orienteering. With this result, Hanna is one of Norrbotten's biggest young sports stars. With her successes and her humble manner, she is a fantastic role model for the county's other athletes.
Sports Leadership Scholarship, SEK 30
Conny Björnfot, Floorball
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Photo: Simon Eliasson
As chairman of the Norrbotten Floorball Association, Conny Björnfot has an extraordinary drive and commitment, a genuine enthusiast. Through his values-driven leadership, Conny contributes to creating a safe and inclusive sport, which is not least noticeable when it comes to handling more difficult issues where children are suspected of being harmed. Conny always puts the children first and has the ability to make wise, but also difficult decisions based on that.