About the Freedom Prize - Winners of the Freedom Prize

Winners of the Freedom Prize

The Freedom Prize is an award given by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania under the Law on the Freedom Prize of 15 September 2011. It was established to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Soviet aggression against the independent state of Lithuania; to honour the memory of the victims who died for Lithuania’s freedom in 1991; to stress the need to further promote the development of democracy, human rights, the rule of law and equal cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe. The Prize is awarded to individuals and organisations in recognition of their achievements in and contribution to the defence of human rights, development of democracy and fostering of international cooperation for the cause of self-determination and sovereignty of nations in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Freedom Prize is awarded annually at a solemn ceremony at the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania on 13 January, the Day of the Defenders of Freedom dedicated to pay tribute to the victims of the struggle for Lithuania’s independence
Vilnius, 13 January 2020. | Photo by Džoja Gunda Barysaitė and Olga Posaškova
*Archives of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania*

Candidates for the Freedom Prize are selected by the Freedom Prize Commission. Its composition is approved by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania on the nomination of the Seimas Committee on Human Rights. The Freedom Prize Commission consists of one member per each political group of the Seimas and two members per each of the following bodies: the Commission of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and the Lithuanian World Community, the Club of Signatories to the Act of Independence, and the Lithuanian Youth Council. The Freedom Prize is bestowed upon the candidate selected by the Freedom Prize Commission by passing the Seimas resolution to that end.

The Prize is awarded annually at a solemn ceremony at the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania on 13 January, the Day of the Defenders of Freedom. During the ceremony, the winner is awarded with a diploma and the Statuette of Liberty by Joana Noreikaitė. The statuette is modelled after the Freedom Monument, a symbol of Lithuania’s statehood, designed by sculptor Juozas Zikaras. The Freedom Monument was unveiled in Kaunas, the then temporary capital, during the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the independence of Lithuania in 1928. It was demolished in the period of the Soviet occupation, and restored and solemnly unveiled on 16 February 1989, when the national revival began.

Winners of the Freedom Prize

	Winner of the Freedom Prize 2023	The 2023 Freedom Prize was awarded to Petras PLUMPA, participant of the Lithuanian unarmed anti-Soviet resistance, publisher of the underground press and publicist, political prisoner, contributor to the Chronicle of the Lithuanian Catholic Church. The Freedom Prize will be awarded on 13 January, 2023 at the Seimas solemn sitting.
	Winner of the Freedom Prize 2023	The 2023 Freedom Prize was awarded to the EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT. The prize is awarded for support for the achievement of Lithuania's independence, for contribution to the defence of human rights and the development of democracy. The Freedom Prize will be awarded on 13 January, 2023 at the Seimas solemn sitting.
	Winner of the Freedom Prize 2022	The 2022 Freedom Prize was awarded to Mr Volodymyr ZELENSKYY, President of Ukraine. The prize was awarded for the merits of Mr Zelenskyy and of the Ukrainian nation in the fight for independence, freedom and democracy in the face of the Russian aggression. The Freedom Prize was awarded at a solemn ceremony at the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania on 13 January 2023.
	Winner of the Freedom Prize 2021	The 2021 Freedom Prize was awarded to Jonas BORUTA SJ, Bishop Emeritus of Telšiai, editor-in-chief of the underground Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania in 1976–1989; and to Bernadeta MALIŠKAITĖ SJE and Elena ŠIULIAUSKAITĖ SJE, the contributors to the publication. The Freedom Prize was awarded at a solemn ceremony at the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania on 13 January 2022.
	Winner of the Freedom Prize 2020	The 2020 Freedom Prize was awarded to the DEMOCRATIC OPPOSITION IN BELARUS for the vision and prospect for the future, as well as for the fight for freedom, democracy and human rights in this country. The Freedom Prize was awarded at a solemn ceremony at the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania on 13 January 2021.
	Winner of the Freedom Prize 2019	The 2019 Freedom Prize was awarded to Albinas KENTRA, fighter for freedom, chronicler of the history of the Lithuanian national revival, and founder of the ‘Forest Brothers’ society. The Freedom Prize was awarded at a solemn ceremony at the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania on 13 January 2020.
	Winner of the Freedom Prize 2018	The 2018 Freedom Prize was awarded to a group of partisans of the Movement for the Struggle for Freedom of Lithuania, namely, Jonas ABUKAUSKAS, Vytautas BALSYS, Jonas ČEPONIS, Juozas JAKAVONIS, Bronislovas JUOSPAITIS, Jonas KADŽIONIS, and Juozas MOCIUS. The Freedom Prize was awarded at a solemn ceremony at the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania on 13 January 2019.
	Winner of the Freedom Prize 2017	The 2017 Freedom Prize was awarded to Sister Nijolė SADŪNAITĖ, defender of freedom, former political prisoner, and co-author and publisher of the underground publication Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania. The Freedom Prize was awarded at a solemn ceremony at the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania on 13 January 2018.
	Winner of the Freedom Prize 2016	The 2016 Freedom Prize was also awarded to Vytautas LANDSBERGIS, President of the Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas, acting as the Head of State of that time, and Signatory to the Act of Independence. The Freedom Prize was awarded at a solemn ceremony at the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania on 13 January 2017.
	Winner of the Freedom Prize 2016	The 2016 Freedom Prize was awarded to President Valdas ADAMKUS, one of the leaders of Santara-Šviesa, the liberal civic organization of the Lithuanian expatriate community. The Freedom Prize was awarded at a solemn ceremony at the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania on 13 January 2017.
	Winner of the Freedom Prize 2014	The 2014 Freedom Prize was awarded to Adam MICHNIK, dissident, one of the leaders of the Polish opposition movement Solidarity, journalist and editor-in-chief of the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza. The Freedom Prize was awarded at a solemn ceremony at the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania on 13 January 2015.
	Winner of the Freedom Prize 2013	The 2013 Freedom Prize was awarded to Cardinal Sigitas TAMKEVIČIUS SJ, political prisoner and founder and editor of the underground publication Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania. The Freedom Prize was awarded at a solemn ceremony at the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania on 13 January 2014.
	Winner of the Freedom Prize 2012	The 2012 Freedom Prize was awarded to Antanas TERLECKAS, political prisoner, participant in the resistance to the Soviet occupation, and founder and head of the Lithuanian Freedom League. The Freedom Prize was awarded at a solemn ceremony at the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania on 13 January 2013.
	Winner of the Freedom Prize 2011	The 2011 Freedom Prize was awarded to Sergei KOVALEV, active fighter for freedom and democracy, human rights activist and Russian dissident The Freedom Prize was awarded at a solemn ceremony at the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania on 13 January 2012.