8th Edition 2021

Award for an exceptional career. Prof. Dr. Margit Șerban is an emblematic figure of medicine in Timișoara and is regarded as one of the most reputable specialists in paediatric haematology in Romania and Europe. Over the course of her career, she contributed to building the paediatric Onco-Haematology departments and laid the foundations of high-performing laboratories: a cellular immunology laboratory, a cytogenetics laboratory, a molecular biology laboratory and a haemostasis laboratory. Prof. Dr. Margit Șerban stood out through her contribution to coordinating the bone marrow transplant team, carrying out, as a national first, the first transplant with stem cells harvested from the umbilical cord blood of the donor’s brother, and the first transplant with stem cells from an unrelated donor.

Award for the book "Teatrul românesc contemporan" (Contemporary Romanian Theatre), published by the Romanian Academy Publishing House. Mircea Radu Iacoban is a Romanian writer, playwright, prose writer and screenwriter, and is considered one of the most valuable contemporary writers. Mircea Radu Iacoban has been honoured with numerous awards and distinctions throughout his career, receiving the Order of Cultural Merit three times and the "Mihai Eminescu" State Medal.

Award for the book "Cinema in RSR", published by Polirom. Bogdan Jitea, a historical researcher and specialist in the history of cinema, distinguished himself through his book "Cinema in RSR. Conformism și disidență în industria ceaușistă de film" (Cinema in the Socialist Republic of Romania. Conformism and Dissidence in the Ceaușescu-Era Film Industry), in which he offered an accurate and well-documented picture of how the film industry functioned before 1989. In 2011 he coordinated the project "Cinema și politică în anii comunismului" (Cinema and Politics in the Communist Years), which resulted in the documentary film "Epopeea națională cinematografică" (The National Cinematic Epic).

George Banu is Professor Emeritus of theatre studies at the Sorbonne University – Paris (France). In France and Romania he has published a significant number of books devoted to the great figures of the European stage, such as Peter Brook, Antoine Vitez and Patrice Chéreau, or to the relationship between theatre and painting: "Cortina sau fisura lumii", "Spatele omului", "Nocturne", "Usa, în inima intimității". He is Honorary President of the International Association of Theatre Critics and an honorary member of the Romanian Academy.

Award for the "Dacia One" project in Bucharest. Adrian Zerva is a multifaceted figure of contemporary Romanian architecture, both practitioner and professor. With an impeccable professional record, Adrian Zerva has demonstrated remarkable skills and consummate professionalism, reflected in his valuable work "Dacia One". Adrian Zerva has been a member of juries for architecture competitions, a participant in the National Architecture Biennale competitions and a winner of its awards.

Award for an exceptional career. Academician Mircia Dumitrescu is a prominent figure of contemporary Romanian art. He is regarded as the patriarch of Romanian graphic art today and perceived as "a generous and modest genius", with an infinite love of books and words. He has received numerous awards and distinctions, including the Order of Cultural Merit in the rank of Knight in the categories "visual arts" and "literature". He is a member of professional associations, both national and international. In 1965 he began his teaching career and progressed through every stage, becoming a university professor at the Academy of Art in Bucharest.

Award for an exceptional career. The violinist Gabriel Croitoru is a musician with an extremely rich presence in musical life, in a threefold capacity as soloist and concert performer with the "Paul Constantinescu" Philharmonic in Ploiești (since 1987), member (first violin) of the "Transilvan" State Quartet of the "Transilvania" Philharmonic in Cluj-Napoca, and university professor (Dr.) at the National University of Music in Bucharest. Gabriel Croitoru has performed as a soloist with major orchestras, such as the London Royal Philharmonic, the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, the "Reina Sofía" Chamber Orchestra, the Festival Strings Lucerne Chamber Orchestra and the symphony orchestras of Monte Carlo. Since 2008, the violinist Gabriel Croitoru has won the right to use, and plays, a violin built in 1730 by the celebrated luthier Giuseppe Guarneri, an instrument that once belonged to George Enescu.

Award for his role in the film "După 40 de zile" (After 40 Days), directed by Andrei Gruzsniczki. With more than 200 characters played, the actor Mircea Andreescu has stood out through his memorable roles in the films "Pas în doi", "A 11-a poruncă", "A fost sau n-a fost", up to the recent "După 40 de zile". He has taken part in international festivals in Cannes and Brussels and received a national award for his portrayal of Emanuel Pișcoci in the film "A fost sau n-a fost". In 2010 he received the UNITER Award for lifetime achievement.