Public organization “Lviv Society in Kyiv” has become a new collective member of Ivan Franko International Fund. The appropriate application about membership was approved by the Meeting of members of the Fund on September 27, 2016 in Drohobych.

“We are very pleased that in the context of a blurred national and cultural identity, there are people who understand the need to stick together and to use joint efforts to preserve, develop, promote Ukraine through its historical and cultural heritage, which is an integral part of the development of modern world and contemporary culture” – says Igor Kurus, director of Ivan Franko International Fund.

Lviv Society in Kyiv is an association of Lviv descents who stay in Kiev. Objective of their activity is a creation of a strong center of Lviv descents in the capital, preparation of conditions for communication between Lviv-originated people of different age and different occupation in Kyiv, development and organization of promotion of Lviv and Lviv region in Kyiv, establishment of new contacts for representation and lobbying of the interests of Lviv residents in Kyiv.

Chairman of the Lviv Society in Kyiv – Tamara Smovzhenko.

• Alois Woldan, Professor of the University of Vienna, Deputy Director of the Institute of Slavic Studies (Austria);
• Roman Mnich, Deputy Director of the Institute of Neolinguistics, Professor of the Natural University of Humanities in Siedlce city (Poland);
• Alfred Sproede, Professor of the University of Münster (Germany);
• Mykola Mushinka, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, professor of Preshivsk University (Slovakia);
• Miroslav Sopolyga, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Director of the Museum of Ukrainian Culture in Svidnik (Slovakia);
• Agnieszka Matusiak, Professor of the Wroclaw University, Head of the Department of Ukrainian Studies (Poland);
• Peter Stoeger, Professor of the University of Innsbruck (Austria);
• Yaroslav  Garasym, Vice Rector of Lviv University named by I. Franko, professor (Ukraine);
• Volodymyr Antofiichuk, Professor of the Chernivtsi National University named by V.Stefanyk (Ukraine);
• Viacheslav Kushnir, Professor of Odessa University named by  Mechnikov (Ukraine);
• Mykhailo Shalata, Professor of Drohobych Pedagogical University named by I. Franko (Ukraine);
• Ulrich Schmid, Professor of the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland).

According to the Regulations, the jury is formed on the basis of parity and interdisciplinary scientific disciplines presented by scientific papers-nominees; jury consists of scientists who are fluent in languages that correspond to the languages of the original scientific papers -nominees; the members of the jury must have academic degree no lower than doctorate and be independent and objective in selecting the award winner.

On August 05, 2016 in University of Vienna (Vienna, Austria) the International Jury announced the first Laureate of Ivan Franko International Prize. In nomination  “For significant personal contribution to the development of social and humanitarian sciences” The Monograph of Blessed Lubomyr Husar under the title “Metropolitan Andrii Sheptytsky, a Galician forerunner of ecumenism” had received the highest score of the Jury.

The ceremony of awarding the Laureates will take place on August 27, 2016 on the native land of Ivan Franko in Drohobych (Lviv region, Ukraine.)

On Friday, August 05, 2016 in University of Vienna (Vienna, Austria) the International Jury announced the Laureate of Ivan Franko International Prize for 2016.

The Head of the Jury of Ivan Franko International Fund, Professor of the University of Vienna, Dr. Alois Woldan, announced that this year the International Jury had chosen the Laureate in only one nomination – “For significant personal contribution to the development of social and humanitarian sciences”. The Monograph of Blessed Lubomyr Husar had received the highest score of the Jury and he became the Laureate of Ivan Franko International Prize. The Jury has decided not to award any nominee with the Prize in the nomination “For significant contribution to the development of Ukrainian studies”.

“The Monograph of Blessed Lubomyr Huzar, Archbishop-Emeritus and of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Cardinal of the Catholic Church under the title “Metropolitan Andrii Sheptytsky, a Galician forerunner of ecumenism” meets all the criteria of Ivan Franko International Prize, since it embodies the idea of unity and originality postulated by Franko,” summarizes the Professor of the University of Vienna Alois Woldan.

The Director of Ivan Franko International Prize, Ihor Kurus, has noted that all works were worthful to be distinguished with Ivan Franko International Prize as the national humanitaristics has been enriched with fundamental researches which nowadays are required not only for Ukrainian but also the International Scientific society in general.

“I. Franko International Prize is targeted to promote development of social and humanitarian sciences and Ukrainian Studies in which Ivan Franko worked. This Prize is annual and international, thus, we hope that the following year the works of the scientists from different countries will be submitted to, as well”.

The Director of the Fund has also expressed his hope that discussions in the process of determination of the first nominee of Ivan Franko International Prize will still be critical and emotional, and the laureate himself, Blessed Lubomyr Huzar, will become an idiosyncratic moral authority for future prize nominees.

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Ivan Franko International Prize represents an honourable recognition of scientific discoveries, scientists’ significant achievements and considerable merits in the fields of social sciences and Ukrainian Studies. The founder of Ivan Franko International Prize is his grandson – Roland Franko.

This year 14 scientific works from three countries have been submitted to win the Prize in six science disciplines: History, Philosophy, Cultural Studies, Literature Studies, Ethnology and Ukrainian Studies.

The ceremony of awarding the Laureates will take place on August 27, 2016 on the native land of Ivan Franko in Drohobych (Lviv region, Ukraine.)

Public presentation of a Mark of Laureate of Ivan Franko International Prize took place within the framework of the events of the 100th anniversary of death of the Great Kameniar (Bricklayer) at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv on Friday, May 27.

“I am the son of the people coming up”, such word are engraved on the Mark of Laureate of Ivan Franko International Prize. The Mark of Laureate is represented by a round proof-like medal with eyelet of 30 mm in diameter and 24 grams weight made of 37.5% pure gold. A woven ribbon in blue and yellow colours with the elements of folk embroidery patterns fastens to a metal piece with images of a feather and bay leaf. The Mark has been produced by Kyiv Company Heroldmaster, LLC on the order of Ivan Franko International Fund.

An author of the design of the Mark is a Canadian artist of Ukrainian origin Oleh Lesiuk – the Head of the Ukrainian Union of Fine Artists of Canada, a member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine and Association of Sculptors of Canada.

The design had been developed taking into account the works of the student of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Dmytro Kruhliak from Zaporizhzhia and the member of the Association of Collectors of Ukraine Serhii Lytvyn from Poltava who had participated in the Contest for the best design of the Mark of Laureate of Ivan Franko International Prize.

The Mark with a cash prize will be awarded to the winner of the prize on August 27, 2016 on a native land of the Great Kameniar (Bricklayer) in Drohobych. Besides the Golden Mark, the winner will be awarded with a cash prize; a prize find amounts to five hundred thousand hryvnias in 2016.

The winners of Ivan Franko International Prize will be determined in two categories: for a considerable contribution to the development of the Ukrainian Studies and for significant contribution to the development of social and humanitarian sciences.

We would like to remind that an awarding ceremony of the winners of the Contest took place on March 30, 2016 in Kyiv. The jury had accepted altogether 12 works that responded to the Procedure of holding the contest for the best design of the Mark of Laureate of Ivan Franko International Prize. Dmitro Krugliak from Zaporizhzhya city and Sergii Lytvin from Poltava city shared the third place and received a cash prize in the amount of 3 thousand hryvnias. The second place and a cash prize in the amount of 5 thousand hryvnias was given to Oleh Lesiuk from Toronto (Canada.) Whereas, none of the design projects has become a winner, the jury took the decision not to decide the first place but to finalize the design of the Mark.

A grandson of Ivan Franko and the Head of the Board of the Fund, Roland Franko and the President of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv Doctor Volodymyr Melnyk, the Director of the Fund Ihor Kurus and the Members of the Board of Ivan Franko International Fund participated in the presentation of the Mark.

In the course of the presentation the Certificates – gratitude were held in for the financial support of the Prize.