We are accepting submissions until 30 June 2018 for the second edition of the John Paul II Veritatis Splendor international award – a special recognition awarded to those dedicated to dialogue, who follow the teachings of John Paul II in their life and activity. This year, the award known as “the Małopolska Nobel Prize” will be granted for the second time. The winner will receive a silver laurel wreath and the equivalent of USD 100,000.
The Veritatis Splendor award was established by the Government of the Małopolska Region in 2016. At the core of this idea lies the appreciation of people with special merits in promoting dialogue in the cultural, social and interreligious dimensions. It was no coincidence that the man selected as the patron of this project was a Man of Dialogue, Pope John Paul II, whose life and pontificate are a model of openness towards others, the diversity of cultures, interreligious dialogue, and combating stereotypes, prejudice and hostility. The Veritatis Splendor Award was also established in order to commemorate World Youth Day 2016, a meeting of young people from all over the world, initiated in 1985 by the Polish Pope.
“The award helps promote the identity of the Małopolska region internationally, and show its uniqueness and its intellectual heritage. It is also a way to honour John Paul II, whose merits in the field of intercultural dialogue are widely appreciated world-wide,” says Leszek Zegzda from the Małopolska Region administration, the originator and initiator of this award. He emphasises that, in addition to the above mentioned aspects, the award also has an extremely important significance which he calls “peaceful”: “The modern world badly needs empathy, understanding and dialogue. Thus, I am convinced that the Veritatis Splendor laurel will become an important distinction, promoting this fundamental idea through the examples of winners who take the idea and make it happen,” adds Zegzda.
The winner of the award is chosen every two years. In 2016, the first recipient of the Veritatis Splendor award was Sr. Rosemary Nyirumbe from Uganda, recognised for her tireless promotion of solidarity and social justice, as well as for instilling dialogue and mutual respect. Since 2012, Sr. Rosemary has been running a school for victims of Ugandan wars, mainly young girls. At the facility which she created, these individuals find care, a safe shelter, education and, above all, they regain their self-esteem.
Candidates can be submitted both by institutions and individuals. The final selection of the winner will be made by the international Chapter of the Award. This is comprised of local government members, clergy members, philosophers and people of good will, such as, for example, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, John Paul II’s closest aide, and Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, Chancellor of the Catholic University of America.
Candidate nominations must be submitted by 30 June 2018 at the Marshal’s Office lodgement of documents desk (ul. Racławicka 56, 30-017 Kraków), between 8.00 AM and 4.00 PM, or via traditional mail to the mailing address: Urząd Marszałkowski Województwa Małopolskiego, Departament KD, ul. Racławicka 56, 30-017 Kraków with the note: “Nagroda Veritatis Splendor”.
The organiser of the award is the Intercultural Dialogue Institute of John Paul II in Kraków, a local government culture centre, whose mission is to preserve and promote the heritage left by the Saint John Paul II, as well as dialogue between religions and cultures.