The Holberg Committee met in the venerable premises of the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin to deliberate on the shortlist candidates for the Holberg Prize 2016 and to put forward its recommendation to the Holberg Board. According to the Committee, there were many strong candidates this year, and the decision was a difficult one. Still, there was no doubt that the committee in its unanimous decision had selected a worthy candidate to be recommended for the Prize.

As in previous years, the Holberg Committee had gathered assessments on the shortlist candidates from a number of recognized international scholars. A total of 76 candidates were nominated for the 2016 Prize, and of these, seven were on the shortlist. Most of the 76 were from US institutions, while nine of the nominees were from Germany, the highest number since the beginning in 2004.

The final decision on the 2016 Holberg Prize recipient will be made by the Holberg Board, which convenes on 29 February. The laureate will then be announced on 11 March, at 09:00 AM at the Library of Humanities, the University of Bergen.