Nine Icelanders were awarded the Order of the Falcon yesterday, on Iceland’s National Day.
The Order of the Falcon is the national Order of Iceland and is awarded in several categories to Icelanders and foreign citizens for their exceptional work in Iceland or internationally.
The Order’s Grand Master is the President of Iceland, while a council sits to make recommendations of who to award the Order to. The Grand Master does not have to accept the council’s suggestions, but usually does. The Order is presented on National Day and New Year’s Day.
At the ceremony yesterday at the official presidential residence, Bessastaðir, President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson awarded five men and four women; all of them Icelanders this time round:
Dagfinnur Stefánsson, airline pilot, from Garðabær, Knight’s Cross for pioneering work in flight and transport.
Friðjón Björn Friðjónsson, former CFO, from Garðabær, Knight’s Cross for leadership in the area of sport.
Guðný Sverrisdóttir, municipal manager, from Grenivík, Knight’s Cross for work for the local area.
Hallfríður Ólafsdóttir, musician, from Garðabær, Knight’s Cross for innovation in youth music education.
Helgi Hallgrímsson, naturalist, from Egilsstaðir, Knight’s Cross for writing and research into Icelandic nature.
Hjörleifur Stefánsson, architect, from Reykjavík, Knight’s Cross for contributions to house preservation and the history of Icelandic architecture.
Lilja Árnadóttir, ethnographer, from Reykjavík, Knight’s Cross for leadership in the preservation of artifacts from past centuries.
Sigrún Guðjónsdóttir, artist, from Hafnarfjörður, Knight’s Cross for contributions to Icelandic art.
Tómas Ragnar Einarsson, musician, from Reykjavík, Knight’s Cross for contributions to Icelandic jazz and cultural life.
