Tag Archives: Award

Romani Rose

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Romani Rose

The city of Heidelberg has honored Romani Rose with its Citizen’s Medal for his outstanding commitment to the city and the rights of Sinti and Roma.

Mayor Eckart Würzner presented the award on Thursday evening, December 4, at the town hall. Romani Rose has been Chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma since 1982. From 1991, he served as Managing Director of the Documentation and Cultural Center of German Sinti and Roma in the Old Town.

Roma Spirit

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Roma Spirit

The Roma spirit awards were presented on November 29th that will be broadcasted on December 10th on Slovak Television.

The civic association Svet ticha won the award in the Non-profit organization category for its systematic support of deaf Roma who face double marginalization.

The Alma Elementary School from Zvolen was awarded in the Society and Employer category for its innovative inclusive education model, which is being created in cooperation with CEEV Živica.

Former football player and youth coach Eugen Bari, known as “Romário from Žitný ostrov”, was awarded as the personality of the year. He worked his way up from humble circumstances to the first league and today, according to the organizers of the survey, motivates young football players with his example.

The Municipality and City category was won by Spišské Podhradie for its long-term and systematic work in the area of ​​inclusion of marginalized communities. In the Media category, the award went to Róbert Hamburgbadžo, a journalist and presenter who brings the authentic voice of the young Roma generation to the public space.

In the Culture category, the winner was the Gypsy Jazz Festival, which, under the leadership of Miloš Suchomel, combines Roma musical tradition, world jazz, Balkan rhythms and Slovak folklore.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of a special award to ACEC founder and Roma Spirit author Ľubomíra Slušná Franz, to whom the organizers paid tribute for her long-standing vision, creativity and ability to connect people across communities.

Tasja Award

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Tasja Award

The Tajsa Prize, which is awarded annually by the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) to outstanding Roma cultural figures, was awarded in Bucharest. This year’s award went to visual artist Selma Selman. The ceremony took place in the representative building of the Romanian Athenaeum, attended by distinguished guests, including the first ever Roma Romanian government minister, Petre-Florin Manole.

Germany: Reportage

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Germany: Reportage

or 18 years, Jenny Rasche from the Harz Mountains has been dedicated to helping Roma children in Romania, where she now lives. Through her efforts, a slum on the outskirts of Sibiu has been completely transformed; Roma children without prospects have grown into young adults with a future. For her work, this dynamic woman was honored with the Kindernothilfe (Children in Need) Honorary Award on November 14, 2025. Reporter Antje Schneider also closely documented this work for years in the MDR series “Jenny and the Roma Children,” which can be viewed in the ARD Mediathek (ARD Media Library).

Lúč z tmy – Ray of Darkness 2025

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Lúč z tmy – Ray of Darkness 2025

For the eighth time, the organizers have solemnly presented the Ray of Darkness awards for exceptional activities and contributions in the field of social change and inclusion of Roma men and women in Slovakia. This year, the awards were again given to personalities who, through their work, contribute to a fairer and more open society, break down prejudices, support equal opportunities and give a voice to those who are often invisible.

The first laureate was Florián Giňa – mayor of the municipality of Jarovnice, a native who has lived his entire life in the local area, which many call a settlement.

The second awardee was Michal Zálešák – a lawyer specializing in the field of human rights and minority rights. Since 2012, he has been working as a legal consultant at the European Roma Rights Center.

The third awardee was Marián Balog – an actor, playwright and director, one of the most prominent figures of Roma culture in Slovakia.

Award in Slovakia

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Award in Slovakia

The Ray of Darkness Award was presented today to the mayor of Jarovnice, Florián Giňa, lawyer Michal Zálešák and actor and director Marián Balog. The awardees in the Public Award – Hat Down/Kalapa Tele category are Tomáš and Stanislava Mattovci, who help children from Luník IX.

The Lúč z tmy award is awarded annually by Roma organizations and independent personalities to those who have long-term efforts to improve the position of Roma in various areas of life or who have significantly contributed to building bridges between Roma and the majority society.

  • Ocenenie Lúč z tmy získali starosta Jarovníc Giňa, advokát Zálešák, herec Balog a manželia Mattovci, ktorí pomáhajú deťom z Luníka IX. In: Dennik N. 07.11.2025. https://dennikn.sk/minuta/4955967/

Award

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Award

Elena Marushiakova and Veselin Popov have received the award from the Gypsy Lore Society for the best book in 2024 on Romani Studies. The book reflects on Soviet repression against Roma under Stalin.

Roma Spirit Nomination

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Roma Spirit Nomination

The Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, v. v. i., has received the extremely rare award of being among the 21 finalists of the 17th Roma Spirit Award, in the Society and Employer category. This year, a total of 163 nominations were received in seven categories. Roma Spirit is a prestigious award “that highlights personalities, organizations and initiatives that contribute to improving the status of Roma and building a fairer and more cohesive society. Every year, it gives a voice to those who work tirelessly for others and prove that inclusion is not just a vision, but an everyday reality” (www.romaspirit.sk).

Award

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Award

This year’s Prize of the Museum of Romani Culture went to activist Josef Miker from Teplice. He will receive the award for his lifelong fight against hatred and racism. He was one of those who significantly contributed to the demolition of the pig farm in Lety near Písek on the site of a former concentration camp. In the community where he lives, he helps Romani youth, poor people and the homeless.

Award in Brno

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Award in Brno

Jozef Miker, a well-known Roma activist and human rights fighter, received the Museum of Roma Culture Award for 2025. The ceremony took place on Thursday, October 23, at 4 p.m. in Brno and was broadcast live by the first Roma internet television.

Georges Soros and Roma

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Georges Soros and Roma

Georges Soros was awarded the European Civil Prize for his work for Roma.

Well done.

His son Alex Soros received the prize onhis behalf at a ceremony in Berlin.

Roma Spirit

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Roma Spirit

The Roma Spirit Award is in its 17th year. This year, it also focuses on promoting respect, inclusion and positive changes in society. Nominations for the award, which highlights personalities, organizations and initiatives to improve the lives of Roma men and women in Slovakia, are open until September 9, 2025.

The event officially kicked off on May 21 with a press conference in Bratislava attended by the organizers, members of the preparatory committee and project partners. Roma Spirit is announced by the Association for Culture, Education and Communication in cooperation with Slovak Television and Radio and the Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Roma Communities.

Roma Spirit

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Roma Spirit

From Wednesday (May 21), people can submit exceptional personalities, strong stories and concrete solutions for the Roma community to the 17th edition of Roma Spirit.

Roma Spirit showcases successful Roma people, but also projects that help those living in excluded communities. “It is very difficult to choose the right actors so that they can be the right finalists. I think that everyone who submits applications has won in their own way,” said Alexander Daško, the Slovak government’s plenipotentiary for Roma communities.

Bulgaria, Schools, and Roma

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Bulgaria, Schools, and Roma

Dimitrinka Georgieva, the principal of the “Lyuben Karavelov” school in the Varna Asparuhovo district in Bulgaria was awarded in the “Person of the Year” competition of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee in the Inspiration category.

There are 400 children at the “Lyuben Karavelov” school at the moment. Of these, 121 are children from Ukraine from preparatory classes to grade 11. Of the remaining less than 280 children, about 90 percent are students of Roma and Turkish origin, and the rest are Bulgarians.

Sounds like a segregated school …

Reimar Lust Award

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Reimar Lust Award

The historian Kateřina Čapková is a leading expert on modern Jewish history in Central and Eastern Europe, the history of the Sinti and Roma, and on flight and migration in the 20th century. She teaches at the Institute of Contemporary History of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. The central focus of her research is on the experiences of Jewish communities in what was then Czechoslovakia during and after World War II. Čapková opens up new perspectives on the interactions between nationalism, minority policy, and transnational networks in Europe. The Reimar Lüst Prize will enable her to conduct research at the Leibniz Institute for Jewish History and Culture – Simon Dubnow in Leipzig.

Slovakia: Roma Spirit

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Slovakia: Roma Spirit

Ethnologist Oľga Bodorová has been nominated for the Roma Spirit 2024 award for her lifetime contribution to ethnography and museology, especially for her documentation of the material and spiritual culture of Roma in Gemer-Malohont. Her publishing and presentation activities and efforts to preserve cultural heritage are of invaluable value for future generations.

Roma Baker

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Roma Baker

Alex Galamb has been nominated for the I Came Volunteer Award, established with the support of the Center for Family-Friendly Hungary.

The young baker was asked how he was spending the day before the holidays and what activities he planned to implement within the framework of his foundation.

Alex told that in the coming weeks he would accompany his students on a professional visit to Slovakia as part of the Erasmus programme, but when he was at home, he usually baked with the children from Sütni jó alapítvány on Sundays, and they also organised trips. They went out for hamburgers, to the cinema, and since Alex has twenty-five young bakers, they baked delicacies in the foundation bakery in three groups.

Elena Marushiakova

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Elena Marushiakova

Prof. Elena Marushiaková-Popová received the Slovak Science and Technology Award 2024 in the category Personality of Science and Technology for international successful scientific research in the field of Roma studies, the history of Roma as an ethnic minority in Europe.

Shee is currently continuing his work at the Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava. The cooperation of Professor Elena Marushiaková-Popová with experts and institutions in Slovakia dealing mainly with Roma studies has been ongoing since the eighties. Its scientific contribution is considerable, it helps to get to know the Roma living in Slovakia and to understand them in a wider pan-European context.

Roma Spirit

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In Bratislava, on May, the Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová received the laureates and finalists of the 15th edition of the Roma Spirit award. She stated it on the social network. She pointed to hundreds of stories of hope, humanity and inspiration. According to her, these helped disprove the belief that the exclusion of Roma is an unsolvable problem.

Slovakia: State Honours

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President Zuzana Čaputová awarded a state award to Eva Gašparová, who is dedicated to teaching Romanes. The ceremony took place on January 14th in the building of the Slovak Philharmonic in Bratislava.

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