THIS YEAR'S Bratislava Čučoriedka (Blueberry) Awards, an annual prize given out to those deemed to have enriched Bratislava life the most, went to ethnologist Soňa Kovačevičová and doctor Barbara Ukropcová.
The awards were started by the late, legendary comedian Július Satinský. The ceremony is a traditional part of the Bratislava Ball, which this year took place in the Reduta on January 26.
This year, the eight-member commission honoured real čučoriedky, as Satinský called women.
"He liked young beauties as well as ripe apples older than 70, so this year really turned out well," Satinský's widow, Viera Satinská, told the SITA newswire.
Satinský even knew both of the award winners personally. Kovačevičová was a close personal friend whose work he considered important to the nation. She received the award in the Personality category for forming modern Slovak ethnology.
Satinský knew Ukropcová since she was a child. "He would have liked that she is a doctor," said Satinská. "He always admired doctors, and the fact that she is a scientist is a bonus."
Ukropcová, who works in the Laboratory for Diabetes Research, received the Idea prize for her successful work in medical research.
Bratislava Mayor Andrej Ďurkovský opened the seventh edition of the Bratislava Ball, which saw more than 600 guests fill the historical building of the Slovak National Theatre. The guests enjoyed the glamorous event in four halls with a different music programme in each: Die Flotten Geister and Big Band Gustáva Broma, Slovak pop band Desmod, jazz singer Lucia Lužinská and All Time Jazz, the Bratislava Hot Serenaders, Boney M revival and Cuban Son Caliente among others.
