The President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, attended the Arnošt Lustig Prize for 2025 ceremony in Prague, which once again recalled the importance of the values that are inseparably linked to the name of the writer Arnošt Lustig - courage, humanity, justice and personal responsibility.

This year's laureate was actor Ondřej Vetchý, who was awarded not only for his long artistic career, but above all for his significant civic engagement. The award committee highlighted his consistent positions on democracy, his active support for Ukraine and his involvement in public service initiatives.

The Arnošt Lustig Prize has been awarded since 2011 to personalities whose lives fulfill the moral principles represented by Lustig himself - a Holocaust survivor and author of powerful literary testimonies about human dignity. Previous laureates include Dana Němcová, Šimon Pánek and Václav Malý.

According to information available from several sources, including the official website of Prague Castle and public media, this year's event had a strong social dimension. In his speech, President Pavel stressed that at a time of increasing polarisation and international tensions, it is important to reward personalities who can take responsibility and actively defend democratic values.

Ondřej Vetchý himself, when accepting the award, emphasized the personal responsibility of the individual. He said that he did not consider his activities to be anything exceptional, but a natural reaction to the situation in society. According to the organisers, this authenticity and long-term consistency was one of the main reasons for his award.

The ceremony was also attended by Eva Lustigová, who has been behind the organisation of the award for a long time, and other prominent public figures. The event reaffirmed that the Arnošt Lustig Award is not only a cultural award, but above all a powerful symbol of civic courage and moral integrity in contemporary Czech society.

gnews.cz - GH