Swedish Academy

The Swedish Academy (Swedish: Svenska Akademien) was founded in 1786 by King Gustav III. It is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden and has 18 members who are chosen to serve for life. These members are the top experts on the Swedish language.

Many people around the world know the Swedish Academy because it is the group that picks the winner of the yearly Nobel Prize in Literature. This special prize is given in honor of Alfred Nobel, who started the Nobel Prizes. The Swedish Academy’s work helps protect and promote the Swedish language and literature, making it important not just in Sweden but worldwide.

History

The Swedish Academy was started in 1786 by King Gustav III. It has 18 members who are chosen carefully. The Academy works to keep the Swedish language strong and beautiful. It also gives out the Nobel Prize in Literature each year.

The Academy meets in a special building in Stockholm. Only the Academy members and the King of Sweden can attend these meetings. Over time, the Academy has changed, with more women joining its members.

The Academy's dictionaries

The Swedish Academy works to keep and strengthen the Swedish language by publishing three dictionaries. The first is a spelling dictionary called Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL), which is in its 15th edition as of 2026. The second is a big dictionary with 39 volumes, similar to the Oxford English Dictionary, called Svenska Akademiens Ordbok (SAOB). The first volume came out in 1893, and the last one was finished in 2023. The third dictionary, with two volumes, is made at Gothenburg University and includes pronunciations, origins of words, and examples.

Besides these dictionaries, the Academy also publishes a four-volume grammar book for researchers and students, and a smaller one for others. All these books can be read for free online at svenska.se.

Awards and prizes

The Swedish Academy gives out nearly 50 different prizes and scholarships each year, mostly for writers from Sweden. These awards are special because people do not need to apply or compete to win them.

The Nobel Prize in Literature

Main article: Nobel Prize in Literature

Since 1901, the Swedish Academy has chosen each year’s winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, given in honor of Alfred Nobel. The winner gets a medal, a diploma, and, since 2024, 11 million Swedish crowns during a ceremony on December 10.

The Great Prize

In Swedish, this is called Stora Priset. It was started by King Gustav III and is the most important award the Swedish Academy can give. It is a gold medal and has been given to famous writers like Selma Lagerlöf, Astrid Lindgren, and Tove Jansson.

Dobloug Prize

The Dobloug Prize is a big award for fiction from Sweden and Norway, worth $40,000. It began in 1951 and, since 1985, two authors from each country win each year.

The Nordic Prize

The Swedish Academy Nordic Prize started in 1986 to mark the Academy’s 200th year. It is worth 400,000 Swedish crowns and is the Academy’s biggest award after the Nobel Prize in Literature. Winners include Tomas Tranströmer, Jon Fosse, and Karl Ove Knausgård.

Bellman Prize

Bellmanpriset began in 1920 to honor Carl Michael Bellman. It is given to an outstanding Swedish poet. Past winners include Pär Lagerkvist and Harry Martinson.

Other prizes

The Kungliga priset (The Royal Prize) started in 1835 by King Karl XIV Johan for important work in the Academy’s areas. The Academy also gives many other prizes and scholarships to authors, scholars, teachers, and librarians.

Current members

See also: List of all members, past and present, of the Swedish Academy

The current members of the Swedish Academy are listed by seat number:

Permanent secretaries

Controversies

1794–1795 Armfelt Conspiracy and suspension of the Academy

Main article: Armfelt Conspiracy

After the death of King Gustav III in 1792, the Swedish Academy faced some problems. In 1794, one of its members, Gustav Mauritz Armfelt, was removed because of his role in a plot against the government. This led to the Academy being paused for two years. Armfelt was later allowed back in 1805 but was removed again after having to leave Sweden.

1881 Henning Hamilton affair

In 1881, another member, Henning Hamilton, was removed for being involved in dishonest financial activities.

1989 Rushdie affair

In 1989, two members left the Academy because it would not clearly support a writer who faced serious threats for his book. A third member also left around the same time, though he did not explain why. This caused some members to step down, reducing the total number.

2018 controversies

In 2018, some members left the Academy after disagreements over how to handle serious accusations made against someone connected to the Academy. This led to many members stepping down, causing delays in choosing the winner of a major award that year. Changes were later made to help restore trust in the Academy.