The glittering hall of Bratislava’s Reduta was filled with the most beautiful emotions on Friday, June 21. Palpable joy, gratitude, and humility mixed with tears of happiness and emotion floated in the air. Thirty exceptional ladies were presented, nine of whom received the most prestigious award – Slovak Woman of the Year 2024. Three others received the Special Slovak Woman of the Year award from the weekly magazine Slovenka.
When President Peter Pellegrini, the patron of the reader poll, took the stage, he greeted the ladies with the words: “Slovakia has had and still has its heroines, whose stories must be told. And this event tells the story of women who have inscribed their names in our history with their knowledge, hard work, and talent. True wealth does not lie in what we own, but in what we can share with our nation, our homeland.” Among those who thanked the head of state was the author of the idea behind the project and the principal organizer, Mária Reháková, who highlighted the uniqueness of all the laureates. Alena Vanková, manager at the Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant and winner in the business and management category became the ultimate Slovak Woman of the Year. As is traditional, we enjoyed a very rich cultural program. At the beginning of the award ceremony, the hosts introduced a piece from the famous musical The Phantom of the Opera, performed by Otokar Klein and Lenka Machciníková. For the very first time at Slovak Woman of the Year, the legendary group Elán performed with their new song “Touch Me Again.” Special guests included Mária Čírová with the song “Geese” from the Slovak fairy tale Three Golden Ducats, and Ján ĎUrovčík’s Slovak Dance Theatre, which showcased a scene from the ballet Amadeus. We also enjoyed hits from Hana Zagorová. The gala was hosted by the duo Juraj Bača and Simona Simanová.
Ultimate winner Alena Vanková.
Danka Barteková, Slovak Woman of the Year 2024 in the Sports category.
Principal organizer Mária Reháková.
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini.
