The Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences is a partner institution of the Roma Spirit Award
Following our institute’s successful nomination among the finalists in the Company and Employer category last year, our cooperation with the non-profit organization ACEC (Association for Culture, Education and Communication), the main organizer of the Roma Spirit Award, has continued to flourish. One thing led to another, and after successfully signing a memorandum of cooperation, we became a member of the award’s preparatory committee. This year marks the 18th edition of the Roma Spirit Award.
As in previous years, 21 finalists in seven categories were selected and officially introduced on 27 October at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in the presence of partner institutions, ambassadors accredited to Slovakia, and media representatives. In the Personality category, this year’s nominees, Alexandra Hovancová, Kálmán Petőcz, and Lýdia Šuchová, were presented on behalf of our institute by Juraj Majo.
All finalists will gather at the ceremonial gala evening on 28 November 2026, when the winners will also be announced. In the meantime, we would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to all finalists!
Photo 1 – Group photo of the finalists.© Daša Šimeková, ACEC
Photo 2 – Opening of the event. From right to left: Atilla Lovász, Director of Minority Broadcasting at STVR; Ľubomíra Slušná Franz, President of ACEC and founder of the Roma Spirit Award; Alexander Daško, Plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Roma Communities; and moderator Roman Juraško. © Daša Šimeková, ACEC
Photo 3 – Juraj Majo presenting the nominees in the Personality category. © Daša Šimeková, ACEC
Photo 4 – Group photo of the nominees in the Personality category © Daša Šimeková, ACEC