Order of the Falcon
The Order of the Falcon is the highest honour awarded by the Icelandic state. The president of Iceland is Grand Master of the Order and bestows the honour upon select individuals at the recommendation of a selection committee. Anyone who wishes to nominate someone for the Order of the Falcon can do so by sending a formal nomination letter to the Order Council.
The President of Iceland presents the Order of the Falcon twice a year, on 1 January and 17 June. Between 10 and 15 Icelandic citizens receive the award each time. In addition, the President awards the Order of the Falcon to domestic and foreign citizens at various times and for various reasons. Formal rules govern the presentation of reciprocal honours in connection with official state visits from foreign leaders. There are five different classes of the Order of the Falcon.
The President of Iceland appoints five individuals to the Order Council, at the recommendation of Iceland’s Prime Minister. Council members usually serve a term of six years. The sixth position on the Order Council is held by the President’s Chief of Staff, who also serves as secretary of the Order Council. The Council reviews nominations from the public and presents their suggestions to the president, but in addition everyone is free to send the Council nominations for potential honourees.
Nominations
Nominations must be signed by one or more nominators and presented in written form to the council. The number of signatures does not determine the Council’s decision. The nomination letter should give an overview of the nominee’s life and career and explain why the nominator believes they deserve to be awarded the Order of the Falcon. The address, phone number and email address of the nominator must also be provided. If multiple people jointly submit a nomination, contact information for one representative of the group should be provided. The Order Council does not accept nominations submitted electronically, nor will the council consider nominations submitted by close relatives of the nominee. Nominations should be addressed to:
Order Council
Sóleyjargata 1
101 Reykjavík
Currently, the members of the Order Council are:
There are five classes of the Order of the Falcon: Knight, Grand Knight, Grand Knight with Star, Grand Cross Knight, and Grand Cross Knight with Chain.
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