I am incredibly proud and grateful to share that I have received the ERAS Culture Award for my work with The Urban Legend.

A few days before the ceremony, I received an unexpected phone call from ERAS telling me that I had been selected to receive their Culture Award. The award recognises my work with children and young people through The Urban Legend — using storytelling to inspire, educate and encourage young people, while creating a positive role model that children from minority backgrounds can see themselves in.

The news came as a complete surprise.

On Saturday, 22 August, I attended the award ceremony at Oslo City Hall together with my mother. The award was presented by Anne Lindboe, Mayor of Oslo, making an already special occasion even more memorable.

But when I stepped onto the stage to receive the award, my thoughts immediately turned to my father.

He passed away earlier this year, in January, and standing there was an incredibly emotional moment for me. I wished more than anything that he could have been there to witness it.

I dedicated the award to him.

I then invited my mother onto the stage and told her:

“This award is also for you.”

Everything I have accomplished has been shaped by the people who believed in me, supported me and encouraged me to keep going — especially during the times when the journey was difficult.

Receiving an award for inspiring children means a great deal to me because that has always been at the heart of The Urban Legend. From the very beginning, the goal has been bigger than creating a superhero. It has been about giving young people stories that make them think, believe in themselves and understand that heroes can come from every background.

For children who rarely see someone who looks like them represented as the hero, that matters.

To have that work recognised with the ERAS Culture Award is something I am deeply grateful for.

The evening became about much more than receiving an award. It became a moment to reflect on family, loss, purpose and the journey that brought The Urban Legend to where it is today.

It is a moment I will cherish and remember for the rest of my life.

Thank you to ERAS for this incredible honour, to everyone who has supported The Urban Legend, and to every young person who has allowed us to be part of their journey.

And most of all:

This one is for you, Dad.