PEN Ukraine won the 2026 Open Society Award in the Voices of an Open Society category

The solemn ceremony of the Open Society Award established by the International Renaissance Foundation took place on 16 April.

This year, PEN Ukraine became the laureate in the Voices of an Open Society category

"We launched this award to support those who for years have been developing the open society in Ukraine. These people defend the rights of others, they counteract corruption, establish independent media, boost reforms – but their work is not always visible, especially when such public service lasts for decades. This award is an opportunity to thank them and to remind that many important changes would not ever happen were it not for the active civic society – and, of course, to draw attention to what civic activists, human right defenders, and journalists do to empower the country," says the statement of the International Renaissance Foundation.

PEN Ukraine’s executive director Maksym Sytnikov received the award at the solemn ceremony.

"The reality we are living in is too difficult to describe. But for our organization, words are the main working instrument that has become an instrument of struggle in wartime. PEN Ukraine today is a community of people who write texts during air raid alerts and missile shelling, in trenches and in the rear. At the same time, PEN is a small team that often remains in the wings while holding together the everyday reality of this work: they organize cultural events after nights like today’s, plan festivals despite the urge to give up after reading the news, deliver books to war-affected libraries of the Dnipro region right now and go to the Kherson region to bring the children there the access to the living Ukrainian culture. For us, this award is a confirmation that our work is needed and visible, that our voices matter, that culture is on the agenda," said Maksym Sytnikov.

The award had two categories: Creators of an Open Society for those who have made a lasting contribution to the development of Ukraine’s civil society, and Voices of an Open Society for those who, in 2025, became a powerful voice for democracy and actively worked toward change. In each category, the jury awarded both a collective and an individual prize.

In the Creators category, the collective prize was awarded to the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. The individual award in the Creators category went to human rights activist, head of the Center for Civil Liberties and member of PEN Ukraine, Oleksandra Matviychuk.

Filmmaker and member of PEN Ukraine, Mstyslav Chernov received the individual award in the Voices category.

The Open Society Award honors individuals, organizations, and projects whose actions are transforming the country, strengthening democratic values, and promoting the development of an open society.

We shall remind you that in November 2025, PEN Ukraine and the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) were awarded the Monismanien Prize. This is a Swedish award for for those who fight against authoritarianism and oppression and for freedom of speech. Jakob Norrhall, the President of the Monismanien Foundation by Kenne Fant, said that PEN Ukraine and the Institute of Mass Information were chosen for their "exceptional journalistic achievements during the ongoing war in Ukraine".