Laureates of the Jan Opletal Awards
Laureates of the Jan Opletal Awards
2004
Ing. arch. Zdeněk Hirnšal
Ing. arch. Martin Laštovička
Ing. arch. Jiří Slezák
2005
ThDr. David Tonzar
2006
Ing. Jaroslav Švec
2007
Dr. Ing. Jaroslav Kuba, Ph.D.
2009
Mgr. Kateřina Volná
2012
Mgr. Zdeněk Ručka
2015
Bc. Kateřina Mazánková
Mgr. Lukáš Miklas
doc. JUDr. Josef Salač, Ph.D.
2017
MUDr. Josef Fontana
2019
Mgr. Michal Zima
PhDr. Vojmír Srdečný – in memoriam
2021
Mgr. Michal Nguyen
Pavel Švanda – in memoriam
2023
Šarka Fajcová – v kategorii vysokých škol
Anežka Tetřevová – v kategorii středných škol
Tobiáš Frýdl – v kategorii osobností do 30 let
2024
Anna Krejčová – v kategorii vysokých škol
Soňa Kleinerová – v kategorii středných škol
Vasyl Kapustej – v kategorii osobností do 30 let
2025
Martin Pisarčík – in the category of Higher Education Institutions
Anna Julie Wittmannová – in the category of Secondary Schools
Veronika Kamenská – in the category of Personalities under 30)
Who has already received the Jan Opletal Award?
The Student Chamber of the Council of Higher Education Institutions presented the Jan Opletal Award for the first time in 2004. At that time, it planned to award it annually.
In the first year, the Jan Opletal Award was awarded collectively to:
Ing. arch. Zdeněk Hirnšal
Ing. arch. Martin Laštovička
a Ing. arch. Jiří Slezák
Graduates of the Faculty of Architecture of Brno University of Technology. At the turn of 1989 and 1990, they led the student protests at the Faculty of Architecture, and their activities became widely known mainly due to a long-running legal dispute with one of the university’s professors.
A year later, in 2005, the laureate of the Jan Opletal Award became:
ThDr. David Tonzar
President of SK RVŠ in 1995–1996. During his term, the Chamber’s position within the Council of Higher Education Institutions was strengthened through regulatory changes, and the Presidency of SK RVŠ gained voting rights in the Executive committee of the Council. The position of alternate delegates within the Chamber was also adjusted. During his presidency, the Chamber also gained the opportunity to join international student organizations.
The Jan Opletal Award in 2006 was awarded to:
Ing. Jaroslav Švec
Founder and director of the Academic Centre for Student Activities (ACSA), which significantly contributes to raising students’ awareness of higher education legislation, opportunities for participation in academic self-governance, and study opportunities in general. ACSA also actively and systematically contributes to the professionalization of students in self-governing bodies of higher education institutions.
In 2007, the laureate of the Jan Opletal Award became:
Dr. Ing. Jaroslav Kuba, Ph.D.
Founder of the Student Union of the Czech Technical University in Prague, the largest and oldest organization of its kind in the Czech Republic. He also contributed to the establishment of several of its clubs. Between 1996 and 2000, he was actively involved in academic self-governance at various levels, including the Student Chamber of the Council of Higher Education Institutions, where he contributed to its integration into the European Students’ Union.
In 2008, the Award was not presented.
In 2009, the Jan Opletal Award was awarded to:
Mgr. Kateřina Volná
A student of the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague and co-author of the publication “Tato fakulta bude rudá!”, which openly maps the impact of the totalitarian regime on the Faculty of Arts. She published detailed documentation of recent history on the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. She also became the first woman to receive the Jan Opletal Award.
The Award was presented again, based on the decision of the Chamber, after three years, in 2012, when it was awarded to:
Mgr. Zdeněk Ručka
A doctoral student at Masaryk University, nominated for his persistent activities in academic self-governance and student organizations. Among other things, for contributing to the preservation of academic culture by pointing out inappropriate teaching and examination practices of one of his lecturers, and for his efforts in supporting and helping fellow students. He also participated in organizing events during the Week of Unrest (Týden neklidu) and is involved in initiatives such as “Studentské jaro” and “Vraťte nám stat”.
In 2015, the Jan Opletal Award was awarded to:
Bc. Kateřina Mazánková
Mgr. Lukáš Miklas
Rector doc. JUDr. Josef Salač, Ph.D.
Students at the Police Academy of the Czech Republic (PAČR). The main reason for awarding the prize was their defence of the Police Academy’s independence against political steps by the Ministry of the Interior aimed at restricting its autonomy.
In 2017, the Jan Opletal Award was awarded to:
MUDr. Josef Fontana
A student at Charles University (UK), nominated and awarded for his exceptional contribution to the development of the academic community and the defence of academic rights and freedoms. Among other things, this included participation in establishing the Ethics Committee of Charles University and in defending academic rights and freedoms in 2012 (Week of Unrest, Týden neklidu).
In 2019, two laureates received the Jan Opletal Award for the first time:
Mgr. Michal Zima
A student at Charles University and former president of SK RVŠ received the Award for his longstanding advocacy of Czech students’ interests in both the academic and the public sphere. For example, he contributed to the re-recognition of 17 November as International Students’ Day, organized annual commemorations at Albertov, and led the “Svobodný listopad” initiative.
PhDr. Vojmír Srdečný – in memoriam
Vojmír Srdečný was the last surviving student deported during the Nazi repression of students on 17 November 1939 to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Throughout his life, he dedicated his professional career to working with people with physical disabilities. He served as an assistant professor at the Department of Physical Education at the Faculty of Education of the University of Hradec Králové.
In 2021, two laureates were also awarded:
Mgr. Michal Nguyen
A student and academic senator at Palacký University Olomouc. Through his activities, he consistently contributes to the defence of academic freedoms, strengthening students’ rights and freedoms, as well as organizing activities that promote equal treatment and combat discrimination. As a senator, he focuses on raising awareness of mental health, sustainable development, and ombuds institutions. He also founded the Committee for a Sustainable Palacký University (KUUP).
Pavel Švanda – in memoriam
Pavel Švanda was a Christian literary activist and a student of the Faculty of Architecture of Brno University of Technology. In the autumn of 1980, he joined the Christian movement around Charter 77 and was also connected to the Prague dissent. In 1981, he refused to participate in compulsory elections. For his moral values and belief in freedom, he paid the ultimate price. In the autumn of 1981, his body was found at the bottom of the Macocha Abyss.
In 2023, SK RVŠ decided to present the Awards together with the association Díky, že můžem, z.s. For the first time, the Awards were presented in three categories:
Šárka Fajcová – in the category of Higher Education Institutions
Šárka Fajcová studies Media Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University. She is currently active in the educational project “KudyKampus”, where she is responsible for 170 programme participants, the ambassador community, and cooperation with schools and student organizations. She is deeply interested in young people’s mental health, which is why she is also involved in the “Safezóna” project, leading a team of 26 volunteers and setting its direction. She completed the DofE programme and decided to guide the next generation through it. During her secondary education, she completed a two-year internship at the Institute of Czech Literature of the Czech Academy of Sciences, where she compiled a corpus of 2,000 works by Czech female authors and examined various factors influencing their lives. She also worked as editor-in-chief of the student magazine “Psanec”. She authored two Students’ Professional Activities, one focusing on the immediate reception of information from authorities, and the other on a quantitative analysis of women writers of the 19th and 20th centuries. She has also volunteered in organizations such as ADRA, the student parliament, and the Czech Secondary Students’ Union.
Anežka Tetřevová – in the category of Secondary Schools
Anežka has long been active in student self-governance and is strongly committed to engaging students not only in the Pilsen Region but also to increasing student participation in general. Since 2021, she has been the president of the Pilsen Region Student Parliament, and in 2022, she initiated the largest student pre-election presidential debate “Zavolíme!”. The project managed to open discussions about elections and the role of the president in 145 schools across the Czech Republic during lessons via live broadcast, thereby increasing young people’s awareness of the importance of civic participation.
Tobiáš Frýdl – in the category of Personalities under 30
Tobiáš is a student of production at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU) and the son of a priest of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church. In his project “Víra v barvách duhy”, which is his private initiative, he seeks to connect two seemingly incompatible communities: the LGBT community and Christianity. The project consists of a series of videos, presented in an accessible format, featuring respondents from various churches. A total of 45 people participated, including priests and experts in biblical studies and practical theology, many of whom teach at theological faculties. The project intentionally presents open and inclusive perspectives and does not focus on conservative positions within churches, yet it still offers a plurality of views. Tobiáš worked on the project independently for approximately six months and handled its communication on social media and in the media. His project is a significant contribution to public discourse. He has also been involved in theatre and video production since childhood.
In 2024, the Awards were presented to:
Anna Krejčová – in the category of Higher Education Institutions
Soňa Kleinerová – in the category of Secondary Schools
and Vasyl Kapustej – in the category of Personalities under 30
In 2025, the Awards were presented to:
Martin Pisarčík – in the category of Higher Education Institutions
Anna Julie Wittmannová – in the category of Secondary Schools
and Veronika Kamenská – in the category of Personalities under 30)
