LIBEREC, October 8, 2024 - The inaugural winners of the Ondřej Sekora Journalism Awards, launched this year by the Czech Sports Journalists Club (KSN), were announced at a ceremony on October 5, 2024 in Liberec as part of the Sportfilm festival. The competition honours the works of contemporary authors and at the same time commemorates the legacy of Ondřej Sekora, a founding member of AIPS, and Vilém Heinze-Henry, the first KSN chairman.
For the first edition, there were four main categories and a young reporter under-30 category and journalists could only submit their works created from January 1, 2023 to August 31, 2024. Baroness Alexandra de Navacelle de Coubertin, president of the Pierre de Coubertin Foundation, was among the personalities who presented the prizes to the winners. The winners of all categories received an original prize from the glassmakers of the Lasvit studio.
Book: Tomáš Macek - Nové příběhy Staré dámy
Article: Robert Rampa and the team - Fígl za 200 milionů a další sporné kroky hokejového svazu
Television/Video: Marek Svačina - 13. komnata Filipa Minaříka
Radio/Audio: Pavel Petr - Časosběrný dokument Olympijský rok Davida Drahonínského
Under 30: Stanislav Kučera and Markéta Plšková - Internetoví agresoři? Ubožáci a lidské dno. Jak tenisté čelí výhrůžkám a zášti.
HALL OF FAME Four journalists were inducted into the newly-established Hall of Fame of Czech sports journalism. Vilém Heinz-Henry (1876 – 1946) symbolically became the first recipient of the Vilém Heinz-Henry award. Another legend awarded posthumously is the longtime editor of MF DNES, Václav Pacina (1928 – 2006).
Original PRIM watches, original Czech brand from MPM Quality, adorned with the KSN logo and the names of their recipients were presented to the two other members of the Hall of Fame, Zdeněk Pavlis and Aleš Procházka. Pavlis, who led the KSN for 22 years (2001-2023), is currently the Club’s honorary chairman and continues his rich career as a book author and a collaborator of the Sport.cz website. Procházka is a legend on Czech Radio and a member of the Czech Hockey Hall of Fame. Both worked on the jury that decided on this year's Ondřej Sekora Awards.
“This first edition will certainly be an inspiration and a challenge for many other authors who did not enter their works,” says the chairman of the jury, Zdeněk Pavlis, who predicts a promising future for the awards. “I do not at all envy the judges who will evaluate the next editions. There were already so many high-quality contributions in the premiere that it was difficult for each of us to choose the best ones.”
The Ondřej Sekora Awards are for writing journalists, radio and television producers. The KSN traditionally organises a Sports Photo of the Year competition for photographers annually.
