PETROGANDAPRISEN 2025

The Petrogandaprisen 2025 identifies numerous instances of the oil industry's influence in Norway, categorizing nominees into eight areas: education for children and youth, sports, public festivals, campaigns, media and public debate, research, art and culture, and health and humanitarian work. The document argues that companies like Equinor, Vår Energi, and Aker BP use sponsorships and partnerships to create a positive image, target young audiences, and obstruct climate action. Specific examples include Equinor's sponsorship of the First Lego League and the Festspillene i Bergen, Vår Energi's funding of regional sports halls, and Aker BP's 'Rebels' marketing campaigns. The report also criticizes the role of media outlets like NRK and Dagens Næringsliv, as well as research institutions and humanitarian organizations like the Red Cross, for facilitating or ignoring the industry's impact on the climate crisis.

• The oil industry targets children and youth through educational sponsorships and games to build a positive image. Equinor sponsors the First Lego League in Norway, Sweden, and Brazil, and the 'Kodekraft' programming project used by half of all Norwegian school classes (73,778 students). Additionally, Equinor's 'Energy Town' game for UK students (ages 9-14) is criticized for suggesting oil can be part of a 'green energy mix' to secure a 'permission to operate' regarding the controversial Rosebank field.
• Oil companies utilize sports sponsorships to integrate themselves into local communities and present the industry as sustainable. Equinor is the main sponsor of the Arctic Race of Norway through 2030 and was a partner for the 2025 Ski-VM. Vår Energi sponsors the Norwegian alpine national team and five regional sports halls ('Folkehallene') in the Stavanger region, which attract nearly 500,000 annual visitors.
• Marketing campaigns and corporate branding are used to frame oil companies as leaders in the energy transition. Equinor's 'Søker etter bedre' campaign, produced by the agency Anorak, uses 13 films to portray employees as driving the energy transition. Aker BP uses 'Rebels' themed campaigns ('Rebels with a Cause' and 'Rebels in Action') to frame its goal of increasing oil and gas production as a 'productivity revolution'.
• The document alleges that Norwegian media and public platforms often fail to critically address the oil industry's role in the climate crisis. NRK's documentary series 'Oljefondet på innsiden' is described as 'petroganda' for omitting climate consequences. Dagens Næringsliv is criticized for portraying Equinor's 'Operation Gandalf' lobby effort for the Empire Wind project in the USA as a 'hero story' while ignoring the company's efforts to secure the Rosebank field in England.
• Research and academic funding are used to maintain fossil activity under the guise of climate solutions. The Research Council of Norway plans new 'petrosentre' (petroleum centers) in 2026 to manage petroleum resources, which the document claims are tools to make the industry appear as part of the solution. Equinor has also signed 'academia agreements' worth 380 million NOK over five years with six Norwegian universities and NHH, focusing on themes like CCS and the maintenance of fossil activity.
• Cultural and humanitarian partnerships are used to improve industry reputation and block climate action. Equinor is the main sponsor of the Festspillene i Bergen. Aker BP has implemented a large-scale street art project on the Yggdrasil platforms. Furthermore, the Red Cross and Norwegian Refugee Council entered partnerships with Equinor worth 20 million NOK annually, despite internal employee concerns regarding the contradiction with the organizations' climate goals.
• Health organizations are criticized for collaborating with the oil industry while ignoring the health impacts of fossil fuels. The Norwegian Cancer Society (Kreftforeningen) and Ung Kreft collaborate with Aker BP and the Aker group. The document references a report, 'Cradle to Grave', stating that fossil fuels cause more deaths from health damage than tobacco.

APA

Rustad, M. E. (2025). PETROGANDAPRISEN 2025. Klimakultur. https://www.klimakultur.no/media/uzuj2fed/nominasjoner-til-petrogandaprisen-den-lange-listen.pdf

Chicago

Rustad, Malene Emilie. PETROGANDAPRISEN 2025. Klimakultur, 2025. https://www.klimakultur.no/media/uzuj2fed/nominasjoner-til-petrogandaprisen-den-lange-listen.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rustad |first1=Malene Emilie |title=PETROGANDAPRISEN 2025 |publisher=Klimakultur |date=30 June 2025 |url=https://www.klimakultur.no/media/uzuj2fed/nominasjoner-til-petrogandaprisen-den-lange-listen.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rustad2025petrogandaprisen, author = {Rustad, Malene Emilie}, title = {{PETROGANDAPRISEN 2025}}, institution = {Klimakultur}, year = {2025}, month = jun, url = {https://www.klimakultur.no/media/uzuj2fed/nominasjoner-til-petrogandaprisen-den-lange-listen.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }