LIBEREC, October 8, 2024 – The first winners of the Ondřej Sekora Journalism Awards, inaugurated this year by the Czech Sports Journalists’ Club (KSN), were announced at a gala ceremony on October 5, 2024 in Liberec as part of the Sportfilm festival. The competition recognizes works by contemporary authors while also honoring the legacy of Ondřej Sekora, a founding member of AIPS, and Vilém Heinz-Henry, the first chairman of KSN.
Four main categories and a young journalists category (under 30) were announced for the first edition. Journalists could submit their works created between January 1, 2023 and August 31, 2024. Among the personalities presenting the awards to the winners was Baroness Alexandra de Navacelle de Coubertin, President of the Pierre de Coubertin Foundation. Winners in all categories received an original award crafted by glassmakers from the Lasvit studio.
Book: Tomáš Macek – New Stories of the Old Lady
Article: Robert Rampa and team – A 200-Million Trick and Other Dubious Moves by the Hockey Federation
Television/Video: Marek Svačina – The Secret Chamber of Filip Minařík
Radio/Audio: Pavel Petr – Time-Lapse Documentary: The Olympic Year of David Drahonínský
Under 30: Stanislav Kučera and Markéta Plšková – Online Aggressors? Wretches and the Lowest of the Low. How Tennis Players Face Threats and Hatred.
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 honored posthumously is longtime MF DNES editor Václav Pacina (1928–2006).
Original PRIM watches, an authentic Czech brand by MPM Quality, adorned with the KSN logo and the names of the honorees, were presented to the other two Hall of Fame members, Zdeněk Pavlis and Aleš Procházka. Pavlis, who led KSN for 22 years (2001–2023), is now the club’s honorary chairman and continues his distinguished career as a book author and contributor to the Sport.cz website. Procházka is a legend of Czech Radio and a member of the Czech Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. Both served on the jury that decided this year’s Ondřej Sekora Awards.
“This first edition will certainly be an inspiration and a challenge for many other authors who did not participate in the competition,” says jury chairman Zdeněk Pavlis, who predicts a promising future for the contest. “I don’t envy the jurors who will evaluate future editions at all. Even in the premiere, there were so many high-quality entries that it was difficult for each of us to choose the best ones.”
The Ondřej Sekora Awards are intended for print journalists, radio and television creators. KSN traditionally organizes the annual Sports Photograph of the Year competition for photographers.