Aspen CE Madeleine K. Albright Leadership Award

The Aspen CE Madeleine K. Albright Leadership Award is bestowed annually by the Aspen Institute CE to young emerging professionals with outstanding achievements in one of the following fields:

• Active promotion of responsible citizenship
• Values-based leadership
• Innovative policies with positive societal impact in Central Europe

The Aspen CE Madeleine K. Albright Leadership Award carries the name of United States Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, a native of Prague and a friend of Aspen CE, to honor her life-long mission of educating and encouraging young leaders to carry a strong value system and contribute to the growth of society. With the Award, we recognize representatives of this generation who demonstrate great leadership early in their careers, show extraordinary potential to inspire others and impact Central European society positively. The Award serves as a great encouragement to the Laureates, inspiring their further commitment to values-based leadership, morality and courage.

The aim of the Aspen Europe Leadership Award is to foster the influence and potential of young emerging individuals, who can and want to contribute to improving society. It is to recognize examples of leadership with great potential to inspire others and to impact society positively.

We are looking for less known stories that, however, deserve the encouragement and recognition for their contribution to the society.

The Award is presented at the Aspen Annual Gala Dinner at the end of the year. The prize consists of promoting the awardee’s activities, e.g. by supporting his or her participation in Aspen International Network projects.

• Age – Young emerging professionals up to 40 years old in the year of the call for the Award.
• Region – Active with an impact in the region of Central Europe (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia).
• Early-stage Leadership Potential – We are looking for less famous stories with potential to inspire and impact.

The Nominee should have taken action to lead a societal challenge:

• showing exceptional moral leadership and courage, fostering open society and otherwise positive impact in Central Europe,
• and/or leading an early-stage projects that deserve the encouragement and recognition for facilitating change and inspiration in the society.

We look for impact stories – of leaders and/or their projects. We do not look for experienced and already well known leaders.

• The Executive Director will announce a nomination procedure at least eight months before the planned date of the Award presentation.
• Each nomination will be accompanied by a justification in the nomination letter, and a short bio of the nominee.
• Nomination will also be open to the public via an online form.
• Award nominations are due on June 30.
• The Executive Director will submit a shortlist of three candidates approved by the President of the Board of Directors by August 15. The awardee will be chosen by the Board of Directors from the shortlisted candidates by September 30.

For more information, please contact us on office@AspenInstituteCE.org

Laureates of Aspen CE Madeleine K. Albright Leadership Award 2024

• Kasia Świętochowska, Creative producer at Science Now Studio, co-creator of the European Space Agency initiative “Direction Earth/Space,” and co-founder of the SPLOT Institute
• Marek Janiga, humanitarian worker and a student senator at Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Law, Founder and Director of United for Help

Laureates of Aspen CE Madeleine K. Albright Leadership Award 2023

• Doc. Vladimíra Petráková, Co-founder Czexpats in Science, Leader of a scientific group at the Jaroslav Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry in Prague
• Julian Gerhart, Founder of the Slovak educational portal Zmudri.sk

Laureates of Aspen CE Madeleine K. Albright Leadership Award 2022

• Jana Hlaváčová, Co-founder of a patient involvement agenda at the Ministry of Health CZ
• Zuzanna Krzątała, Project Coordinator at Humanity in Action Poland

Laureates of Aspen CE Leadership Award 2021

• Ľubica Karvašová, Slovak diplomat and the first Sherpa at the Prime Minister’s Office
• Jan Mencwel, Polish activist, writer, founder and current leader of Miasto Jest Nasze

Laureates of Aspen CE Leadership Award 2020

• Tereza Kalousková,  Foreign coordinator at Palacký University Olomouc
• Michal Tarnowski, Co-founder of the Academy of Civic Knowledge and of educational start-ups Nativated and Nauczeni.pl

Laureates of Aspen CE Leadership Award 2019

• Do Thu Trang, Author of the blog Asijatka.cz
• Michal Mižigár, Historian of Roma origin

• The Central European branch of the Aspen Institute was established in 2012, and since 2014 annually recognized personalities, who significantly contributed to the development of Central and Eastern Europe and helped in strengthening the region’s position in the world. 
• Among the laureates of the Aspen Prague Award were former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and the President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves, or in memoriam Senator John Sidney McCain III .
• Since 2019, the Aspen Institute CE recognizes, in line of its mission and leadership programs, young emerging professionals by the Aspen Central Europe Leadership Award from Central European region.
• Since 2022, the Award carries the name of the United States Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and it is being renamed to the Aspen CE Madeleine K. Albright Leadership Award.