Bled hosted the 12th edition of the international Živa Award from 30 September to 3 October. Organised by the Forum of Slavic Cultures and Bled Culture Institute, the award recognises outstanding achievements in the preservation, protection, interpretation and promotion of Slavic heritage. This year’s gathering brought together 43 nominees from 16 countries, including 13 institutions connected with Slovenian heritage.
An international jury comprising 15 museum professionals from Slavic countries and the European Museum Academy (EMA) presented a total of 13 awards, special recognitions and diplomas.
The Winners of the Živa Award 2026 are:
Best Slavic Museum: The Regional Museum Goriški muzej in Nova Gorica, Slovenia, https://goriskimuzej.si/
Best Slavic Heritage Site: Museum – Teodora and Izydor Gulgowski Kashubian Ethnographic Park in Wdzydze, Poland, https://www.muzeum-wdzydze.gda.pl/
Honourable Mention: Municipal Public Institution “Museums of Kotor”, Kotor, Montenegro, https://muzejikotor.me/
Special Recognitions
– for the Interpretation of Intangible Cultural Heritage:
Vysočina Open Air Museum, Hlinsko, Czech Republic, https://nmvp.cz/vysocina
– for Community Engagement
Planet Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, https://planetsarajevo.ba/
– for Outstanding Exhibits
Museum and Gallery MUZA, Ljubljana, Slovenia, https://nlb-muza.si/
Culture Hero of the Slavic Heritage:
Museum for Change, Odesa, Ukraine, https://www.mfcua.org/
Ambassadors for Excellence in Preserving Slavic Heritage Worldwide
– Slovenian Cultural Action, Buenos Aires, Argentina, https://www.skakcija.org/
– Urban Jarnik Slovene Ethnographic Institute, Klagenfurt, Austria, https://www.ethno.at/home/sl
– Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Saskatoon, Canada, https://www.umcnational.ca
– Serbian Ecclesiastical Museum in Szentendre, Szentendre, Hungary, https://www.semu.hu/en/
– Lojze Bratuž Cultural Centre, Gorizia, Italy, http://www.centerbratuz.org
– SMO Narratives and landscapes museum, San Pietro al Natisone, Italy, https://smo-center.eu/
“This year’s nominees and winners once again demonstrated the many different paths to heritage – from the traditional preservation of collections to new ways of storytelling, engaging communities and connecting culture with other fields,” said Dr Andreja Rihter, Director of the Forum of Slavic Cultures. She added that Živa is not merely an award, but above all a network of people and institutions committed to opening heritage up to new interpretations and new audiences.
This year’s Živa Award was held under the central theme “Myth and Memory in the Slavic Cultural Space.” The theme was also reflected in the presentations by the nominated institutions, which showcased diverse approaches to preserving and interpreting heritage and explored the role of museums in contemporary society. The Živa Award 2026 ceremony was one of the highlights of the four-day international gathering, which brought together more than 150 representatives of museums and cultural institutions from 16 countries in Bled.
The 13th Živa Award ceremony will take place in October 2027 on the island of Krk, Croatia.
Photos: Boris Pretnar
