On Friday, 27 September, Živa Award Ceremony was held in the Culture House in Gabrovo.
This year, the Živa jury, composed of thirteen judges – the museum experts from different Slavic countries and the European Museum Academy (EMA), nominated 20 museums from 10 countries for the award.
The recipients of the Živa Awards 2024 are:
- The Živa Award 2024 for the Best Slavic Museum was granted to the Regional Museum of History Ruse, Bulgaria.
- The Živa Award for the Best Slavic Heritage Site was conferred on Bled Castle, Bled, Slovenia.
- Honourable Mention for the promotion of the intangible cultural heritage was granted to the Museum of Bećarac, Pleternica, Croatia.
Five Živa Award 2024 Special Recognitions were awarded to:
- Photo House Pelikan, Museum of Recent History Celje, Slovenia: for Sustainability.
- Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro –
- MCAM, Podgorica, Montenegro: for Leadership and Team Efficiency.
- Museum of Herzegovina in Trebinje, Bosnia and Hercegovina: for Visitors and Openness.
- Radom Village Open Air Museum, Poland: for Creativity.
- Museum of John Amos Comenius in Uhersky Brod, Czech Republic: for Storytelling.
At the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Živa Award, Dr Andreja Rihter, its founder, expressed her satisfaction with the progress achieved through the network of 210 museums from 12 Slavic countries. She noted that this represents a significant accomplishment, indicating that the objectives of the award have been fulfilled over the past decade and beyond.
The Živa Award is not only an effort to recognize the cultural heritage of Slavic countries and to honour exemplary museum practices in the region, but also aims to advance cultural heritage and museum practices across the region. Furthermore, it serves as an important transnational cultural meeting point, promoting dialogue, communication, and collaboration in various fields, including cultural and natural heritage protection, museum collection presentation, service provision, and educational development.