On Thursday, 17 October, film director Dāvis Sīmanis received the Baltic Assembly (BA) Prize for the Arts at the award ceremony in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Sīmanis received the Prize for his internationally acclaimed feature film “Maria’s Silence” (2024), which was also awarded at the Berlin International Film Festival. The film is a Latvian-Lithuanian co-production that presents a high‑quality artistic portrayal of important and fateful historical events for the entire Baltic region.
The BA Prize for Science was awarded to Lithuanian scientist Limas Kupčinskas for his outstanding contribution to fundamental and clinical research, innovation in the field of digestive and liver diseases, and professional scientific achievement. Meanwhile, the BA Prize for Literature was presented to Estonian writer and poet Rein Raud for the novel “Katkurong” (“The Plague Train”).
The monetary value of each prize is EUR 5000. The BA Prize was established in 1994 and since then has been awarded to several well-known cultural workers, scientists, and artists.
In addition, the Baltic Innovation Prize was awarded to the Lithuanian biotechnology company Nando that develops and manufactures high-added-value microbiological products and chemical additives for agriculture and industry. The Baltic Innovation Prize diplomas were awarded to the Latvian-based company Invessel, specialising in aluminium boat construction, and the Estonian agriculture‑focused climate tech company EAgronom, committed to helping farmers adopt sustainable practices.
The Baltic Assembly medals for upholding the unity and cooperation of the Baltic States were also presented at the ceremony. One medal was awarded to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, who defends the free world and human values by stopping Russia on the battlefield and taking back the occupied territories, and for his merits in the fight for freedom and independence, which is also a fight for the freedom of the Baltic States and Europe. Medals were also awarded to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, for merits in the fight for freedom, European values, and European Unity, as well as to Jens Stoltenberg, former NATO Secretary General, for strong leadership in the fight for the freedom of Ukraine.
In the ceremonial event, Raimonds Bergmanis, Chair of the Defence, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee of the Saeima, was presented the medal for his valuable contribution to strengthening the security of the Baltic States. Additional medals were awarded to Ruth Kalda, Professor of Family Medicine and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tartu, Venta Kocere, Director of the Academic Library of the University of Latvia, and Estonian writer and translator Margus Konnula.
Toivo Tuberik, producer of the concert agency “Uus Kontsert” and founder of the chamber orchestra ME and the Baltic Piano Orchestra, and Romualdas Vaitkus, member of the Lithuanian delegation to the Baltic Assembly, also received the BA medal.
The award ceremony took place on Thursday, 17 October, on the eve of the 43rd session of the Baltic Assembly. MPs from Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania gathered in Vilnius to discuss issues of regional importance and to strengthen cooperation among the Baltic States and beyond. The parliamentarians also focused on the role of the Baltic States in the development of artificial intelligence.
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Saeima Press Service