The Lithuanian Culture Ministry has announced six winners of this year’s National Prize for Culture and Arts. The prizes will go to cinematographer Jonas Vitoldas Tomaševičius, writer Saulius Tomas Kondrotas, actor Regina Šaltenytė, artist Eglė Ridikaitė, musicologist Rūta Stanevičiūtė, and architect Gintaras Balčytis. Tomaševičius and Kondrotas were awarded for their lifetime contribution to culture and art, and the other four winners received the prize for their work over the past seven years.
Outgoing Culture Minister Mindaugas Kvietkauskas noted that the awards were announced at a very difficult time for culture due to the coronavirus pandemic. The awards also deliver a message of hope that cultural life in Lithuania has not stopped, he said.
The six winners were selected from a list of 45 nominees. Awarded annually since 1989, the prize honours significant achievements in culture and arts by Lithuanian and expatriate creators over the past seven years, as well as works created over the course of one’s lifetime.
Each of this year’s winners will receive 31,200 euros.
