Congratulations to this year's Vasyl Stus Prize laureate — Ukrainian actor and director Akhtem Seitablaiev!

Akhtem received the award for his significant contribution to the development of culture, with numerous roles played and films directed. He is also one of the first directors to make a film about the war in the East, donating a percentage of the box office proceeds to support the military and their families.

The award was presented to the winner by kmbs dean Oleksandr Savruk. In congratulating Akhtem, he emphasized that the Vasyl Stus Prize laureate is a beacon person, setting a system of coordinates for the entire society, showing the standard, vector, and focus.

This resonates with how kmbs sees a manager today — as a person who takes responsibility for broader systems, thinks and acts with the aim of developing not only their own business but also society as a whole.

"By supporting the Prize, we support the phenomenon of Vasyl Stus — the type of decisions, lifestyle, and proposals that lay the foundations for a different type of society, rather than solving the problems that arise in this society. This is what is called setting meanings that form a qualitatively different environment in which we might not have the problems we need to fight against," commented Oleksandr Savruk on the importance of this award in the program "Human Rights Above All."

The Vasyl Stus Prize is an award established in 1989 by the Ukrainian Association of Independent Creative Intelligentsia led by Yevhen Sverstiuk. It is awarded to a figure who has made a special contribution to the development of Ukrainian culture and distinguished themselves by their steadfast civic position. Since 2016, the Prize has been managed by the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School, PEN Ukraine, and the "Spirit and Letter" Publishing House.

Vasyl Stus Prize Laureate 2020 — Ukrainian actor and director Akhtem Seitablaiev