National Council of the Slovak Republic Speaker's Award for Cultural Development

The Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic has presented an award since 2007 to outstanding figures that have significantly contributed to the development of artistic languages. At the proposal of an expert panel the award is presented to six living personalities for their life-long impact in the areas of cinematography, theatre, fine arts, music, literature, journalism and humanities. It is awarded annually each June, and the solemn ceremony simultaneously commemorates a certain social and cultural anniversary. The first laureates of 2007 included writer, filmmaker and painter Albert Marenčin, composer Iľja Zeljenka, sculptor Jozef Jankovič, painter Jozef Ciller, religious studies specialist and ethnologist Ján Komorovský, and philosopher Milan Zigo.

The 2009 Award was conferred on: Juraj Bartusz, a sculptor and teacher at the Faculty of Arts of the Technical University in Košice (for his outstanding contribution in the field of fine arts), on Ján Sabol from P.J.Šafárik University in Košice (for his outstanding contribution in the field of linguistics), on Jozef Mihalkovič, a writer (for his literary activities), on Miroslav Luther, a director (in the field of movies), on Viera Strnisková, an actress (in the field of drama) and on Ferdinand Klinda, an organist (in the field of music).