Andrii Sodomora and Olena Stiazhkina — Laureates of the 2026 Vasyl Stus Prize

Translator and writer Andrii Sodomora and writer and publicist Olena Stiazhkina became the laureates of the 2026 Vasyl Stus Prize. The award ceremony took place on September 9 at the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School.

The Vasyl Stus Prize is awarded annually to living authors, regardless of their place of residence, for their outstanding contribution to Ukrainian culture and steadfast civic stance. This year, the Vasyl Stus Prize was awarded for the 37th consecutive time. Since the establishment of the award, it has been received by over 70 artists.

"The atmosphere of our event is light and shadow. But what is unique now is that light is rare. When you don't just drink it like water. When it is given to you as a miracle. And it seems to me that we all understand what a miracle Vasyl Stus and his generation were. This prize is also a miracle. It is not just an award for good literature or well-known cultural figures. It is a prize for those who fight," noted Volodymyr Yermolenko, Head of the Prize Chapter and President of PEN Ukraine.

Andrii Sodomora is a Ukrainian writer, translator, and scholar. The most prominent translator of classical works in contemporary Ukraine, he has been dedicated to this craft for over half a century. He translates the texts of Horace, Virgil, Seneca, and Ovid. He is a recipient of the Order of Merit, 3rd Class.

Olena Stiazhkina is a Ukrainian writer, publicist, Doctor of Historical Sciences, and Professor of History. She is the founder of the civic movement "Deoccupation. Return. Education." She is a laureate of the Women in Arts Award (2026) in the "Women in Literature" category for her contribution and resilience during times of resistance, and a recipient of the Order for Intellectual Courage. She is the author of over ninety academic publications and works of fiction, such as In God's Language (Movoyu Boha), Rozka, and Zelman's Boot (Chobitok Zelmana).

"Classical artists believed that poets and warriors are born. Vasyl Stus provided an example of how, in a short life, by developing innate talents, one can become exactly this kind of beautiful person. A person who managed to combine a will of steel with the subtlety of the soul's structures. As for me, I was born in 1937. At the end of the year when Mykola Zerov fell victim to an inhuman system. Chance directed me to classical studies at Franko University. And so, in translation, I plowed two furrows — the Roman one of Mykola Zerov and the Greek one of Borys Ten. 'Hurry to me, but to yourself first of all,' the philosopher advised. I hurried to them, the classical masters. In that work, I considered first and foremost what unites us with the ancients: a love of freedom, humanity, humanitas, and the highest respect for the word. It was from them that I learned," shared Andrii Sodomora.
"The genius of Vasyl Stus set a sky-high bar. It was not meant for most of his contemporaries to reach it. But it has fallen to ours (contemporaries — Ed.). It has fallen and continues to fall every single day. At the front line, in captivity, in the occupied territories. To me, this prize is not an award. It is an honorable and important debt that I will strive to repay my entire life. For everything that separates us from the darkness, from the events and consequences of war," emphasized Olena Stiazhkina.

The laureates of the Vasyl Stus Prize received a statuette designed by designer Dmytro Pokrasion and sculptor Stanislav Kadochnykov, as well as a monetary reward.

The ceremony concluded with a musical performance by Artystka Chuprynenko. The hosts of the event were Valentyna Sotnykova — a literary scholar, cultural manager, and host of the Suspilne Kultura Dekolonizatorky (The Decolonizers) podcast— and Zakhar Davydenko — a Radio Kultura host, violinist of the DvaTry ensemble, and founder of the RUKH (Movement) festival.

During the ceremony, the organizers announced a fundraiser for vehicles for a special detachment of the Kryla Omehy (Wings of Omega) Special Purpose Center.

The award ceremony was broadcast on the Facebook pages of PEN Ukraine, the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School, and the Espreso TV, as well as on the YouTube channels of PEN Ukraine and the Espreso TV.

Organizers of the Vasyl Stus Prize: PEN Ukraine, Kyiv-Mohyla Business School, and the Dukh i Litera publishing house.

The event is supported by: Mnozhyna Foundation.

Main media partner: Espreso TV channel.

Organizational partners: Fund of Alla Horska and Viktor Zaretskyi, Stakhovsky Wines, LoraShen floristry and design company, Catering by Silpo, PosterBureau.

Media partners: Chytomo, Radio Kultura, Suspilne Kultura, Channel 5.

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As a reminder, the Vasyl Stus Prize is one of the oldest cultural awards in Ukraine. It was founded in 1989 by the Ukrainian Association of Independent Creative Intelligentsia, headed by Yevhen Sverstiuk. Since 2016, PEN Ukraine, the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School, and the Dukh i Litera publishing house have continued this initiative.

The award is presented annually to living authors (writers, artists, directors, musicians, and cultural managers), regardless of their place of residence, for their outstanding contribution to Ukrainian culture and steadfast civic stance. Three months prior to the award ceremony, each jury member nominates one candidate.

All nominated candidates are evaluated at a jury meeting in two stages. During the first stage, a longlist of candidates is formed through a rating system. During the second stage, the laureate is selected by a simple majority vote through a secret ballot.

The composition of the 2026 Vasyl Stus Prize Chapter can be found at this link.