Laudation — a speech about the contribution and role of the laureate — was delivered by Ukrainian human rights defender, publicist, and vice-rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University, honorary president of the Ukrainian PEN Myroslav Marynovych.

"Vitaly is a fighter and a patriot. That's why I called him Vasyl Stus' brother. Since 2014, his articles about Russia's aggression in Ukraine have often turned into a 'Molotov cocktail,' or, as they say now, a 'Bandera smoothie.' That is why Vasyl and Vitaly are like two ancient knights who, upon meeting, honor each other. We are sure it is an honor for Vitaly Portnikov to receive the Vasyl Stus award. And we, members of the Chapter, also certify that it is an honor for the Vasyl Stus award to receive Vitaly Portnikov as its new laureate," said the chairman of the jury, Myroslav Marynovich, during the award ceremony.

Vitaly Portnikov is a Ukrainian publicist, writer, and journalist. He was born in 1967 in Kyiv. Radio Svoboda columnist and regular author of analytical articles on political and historical topics. Since 1994, it has been regularly published in the newspaper "Mirror of the Week" (Kyiv), in the section "Diaries" (the materials of this section are collected in the book "The Virgin in the Synagogue"). From June 2006 to October 2007, he was the editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian daily newspaper "Gazeta 24". He hosted journalistic and information-analytical programs on several Ukrainian TV channels. From 2009 to 2011, he hosted the program "Pravda Vitaly Portnikova" on the TV channel. In May 2010, he became the chief editor of TVi. Since November 2013, he has been hosting programs on the Espresso TV channel.

"Today, we deserved to use the category of leadership — multidimensional, like that of Vasyl Stus. These dimensions are ethical and aesthetic. They are service leadership. All this is converted into abilities and virtues that help to influence the formation and development of values and characteristic features of modern Ukrainian culture and Ukrainian society," said Oleksandr Savruk, dean of the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School and member of the jury of the Vasyl Stus Prize.

"In 2022, when the fate of Ukrainian statehood and the Ukrainian nation will be decided, receiving an award named after Vasyl Stus — a person who sacrificed his life, his creativity, and his health for this nation — is a special challenge. This is not an award. It is a reminder of what Ukraine is worth," Vitaly Portnikov emphasized in his speech.

The winner of the Vasyl Stus Prize received a monetary award and a statuette designed by designer Dmytro Pokrasyon and sculptor Stanislav Kadochnikov.

The Vasyl Stus Award is one of the oldest Ukrainian awards in the field of culture. In 1989, it was founded by the Ukrainian Association of Independent Creative Intelligentsia, headed by Yevhen Sverstyuk. Since 2016, the Ukrainian PEN, the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School, and the publishing house "Spirit and Litera" have continued this initiative.

The Vasyl Stus Prize is awarded annually to writers, artists, directors, musicians, cultural managers, and public figures for contributing to Ukrainian culture and citizenship sustainability.

"The presentation of the Vasyl Stus Prize in 1998 was the most important event in our lives at that time. We still feel every day because of the weight of this award, its level, and the honor we were awarded. This is the highest award that can be given to an artist," singer Lesya Telniuk said during the ceremony. This year, the duet "Telniuk Sisters" performed songs based on poems by Vasyl Stus and Bohdan-Ihor Antonych during the ceremony.

In different years, the award was received by Opanas Zalivakha, Mykhailyna Kotsiubynska, Vasyl Ovsienko, Ivan Svitlichnyi, Myroslav Marynovych, Yevhen Zakharov, Volodymyr Vyatrovych, Maria Burmaka, Sashko Polozhynskyi, Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, Taras Kompanichenko, Oleksandra Koval, Serhii Zhadan, Borys Gudziak, Vlad Troitskyi, Akhtem Seitablaev and Taras Wozniak.

Candidates for this year's Prize were nominated by a jury consisting of Myroslav Marynovych — chairman of the jury, publicist, founding member of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group, honorary president of the Ukrainian PEN; Taras Voznyak — cultural scientist, political scientist, general director of the Lviv National Art Gallery named after B. Voznytskyi, laureate of the Prize named after V. Stusa for 2021; Olya Hnatiuk — researcher, professor of NaUKMA and Warsaw University, vice-president of the Ukrainian PEN; Andriy Kurkov — Ukrainian writer, president of Ukrainian PEN; Yuriy Prokhasko — essayist, translator; Oleksandr Savruk — Dean of the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School; Eleonora Solovei — literary critic; Leonid Finberg is the editor-in-chief of the "Spirit and Litera" publishing house.

The general media partners of the 2022 ceremony are the Espresso TV channel and Public Broadcasting.

Ukrainian PEN (PEN Ukraine) is a cultural and human rights public organization that unites Ukrainian journalists, writers, scientists, publishers, translators, and human rights defenders. It is one of the 146 national centers of the International PEN. The activities of the Ukrainian PEN aim to protect freedom of speech and the rights of authors, popularize Ukrainian literature and culture, defend the values and standards of independent journalism, and establish international cultural cooperation.

Kyiv-Mohyla Business School [kmbs] is a school for leaders who seek change in themselves, their companies, the country, and the world. Its creators, teachers, and graduates believe that the breakthrough development of kmbs educational program participants will lead to a qualitative leap in the development of companies, our country, and the world.

Photo – Valentina Naumenko.

Vitaly Portnikov became a laureate of the Vasyl Stus Prize in 2022