The winner of the Olga Havel Prize in 2024 is Doris Průšová, the Public Prize was awarded to Michaela Linková.

Doris Průšová won the award for her efforts to help create jobs in the mainstream labour market for people with disabilities and to break down barriers between able-bodied and disabled employees.
 
Because of her personal experience of how difficult it is for people with disabilities to find employment in the mainstream labour market, Doris Průšová decided to contribute to the accessibility of workplaces for people with any disability. She works in the Troublegang team, which is part of the O KROK Employment Agency for people with disabilities. The team of professionals searches for opportunities for people with disabilities on the labour market and provides consultations to companies on how to prepare a workplace with regard to a specific type of disability. So far, the team has managed to employ more than 80 people with disabilities. Doris Průšová is an essential member of the team and, according to her surroundings, her energy and willingness to help is an inspiration for the whole company. Her motto is that the biggest obstacle is not stairs, but people. 
 
For the eighth time, the Foundation also awarded the Olga Havel Prize to the public. The jury selected three personalities from among the nominees who were shortlisted by online voting. Michaela Linková won the Public Award.

Michaela Linková suffers from a rare and very serious disease, systemic scleroderma, and she has also been fighting cancer for a long time. She is active in the Revma Liga Czech Republic, where for the last two years she has been working intensively on a project that is fundamentally changing the patient environment in our country. In addition, she founded the Scleroderma patient group, which provides valuable help to all patients with this diagnosis. She is active in raising awareness about this rare rheumatic disease, for example through her participation in the development of official recommendations, organizing conferences and other projects that help people with this diagnosis.

The award ceremony took place on 27 May in the newly reconstructed Art Nouveau Fanta building of the Main Railway Station in Prague. The event was attended by the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic Markéta Pekarová Adamová.
 
The ceremony was also a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Olga Havel Prize. Most of the previous winners of the Olga Havel Prize and the Public Prize accepted the invitation. As a souvenir, they received hearts from the protected ceramic workshop Úpořiny, run by the non-profit organization Arkadie Teplice. 
 
The ceremony was hosted by Czech Radio presenter Jan Pokorný and accompanied by the Pueri Gaudentes choir.

TOOK OVER THE PATRONAGE OF THE AWARD:

Markéta Pekarová Adamová, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic
Miluše Horská, Chairwoman of the Committee on Social Policy of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic
Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková, Government Commissioner for Human Rights

 
Main media partners: the Czech Radio and Deník N
Media partner: Radio 1
Partners: Railway Administration, Minet Elektro, ČSOB, Mountfield, Rückl, Copy General, Model Obaly

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING RECIPIENTS OF THE OLGA HAVEL PRIZE 2024:

FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT

• Jiří Horník - for his multi-year financial support of VDV projects through Advent Concerts of Good Will organized by Kocián Šolc Balaštík, advokátní kancelář, s. r. o.
• Libuše Hudečková - for long-term financial support of VDV projects and other volunteer help to the Foundation
• David Navara - for regular financial donations to VDV
• Jana and Martin Vojta - for their long-term support of VDV projects within the Friends of VDV Club of Friends of the VDV

FOR A CHARITABLE BEQUEST

• Dušan Karpatský in memoriam - for making a charitable bequest to VDV 

FOR EFFECTIVE COOPERATION

• Aneta Langerová - for her involvement in the Olga is here with us campaign for Olga Havel's 90th birthday
• Nikola Langer - for her involvement in the Olga is here with us campaign on the occasion of Olga Havel's 90th birthday
• Alfred Strejček - for his dedicated help in the realization of the benefit concert for the VDV and the Silou hlasu association 
• Adéla Marie Jirků - for creating the illustrations for the Olga is here with us campaign and helping with other VDV projects
• Miloš Říha, Director of the Scout Institute in Prague - for several years of effective cooperation within the Active Citizens Fund program, which is administered by a consortium consisting of the OSF Foundation, VDV and the Scout Institute

FOR EXCELLENT PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

• Dominik Melichar, director of the St. Joseph's Home - for his long-standing support of people with multiple sclerosis and those who care for them
• Dagmar Doubravová, Director of the RUBIKON Centre - for helping people to overcome their criminal past, for their support in getting and keeping a job and housing, in solving debts, in accepting responsibility for themselves and their actions and towards their family and surroundings
• Michaela Stehlíková, Director of TADA A TEĎ - for the implementation of the project Children without Debt, which focuses on stopping child foreclosures by public entities in the Czech Republic
• Pavel Kreml, founder and chairman of the Silesian Ostrava Ostomy Club - for his commitment to ostomy awareness and eliminating fears of living with it