Veronika Kamenská, a student at Masaryk University, has been named the winner of the 2025 Jan Opletal Award, the Czech Republic’s highest student honour. Kamenská received the award in the under-30 category for her civic engagement and leadership of Nepanikař, a project that helps people cope with mental health challenges.
Originally launched as a student initiative, the Nepanikař app offers practical tools and connects users experiencing anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts with professional help. Today, it supports tens of thousands of users across the Czech Republic and abroad and has become a leading example of how technology can foster mental health awareness. Under Kamenská’s direction, the project also operates one of the country’s largest crisis counselling centres.
The Jan Opletal Awards, now in their 13th year, recognise young people whose commitment, empathy, and creativity are improving society. Named after Jan Opletal, a student whose death during protests against the Nazi occupation in 1939 became a symbol of courage and resistance, the awards aim to remind the public that freedom and democracy must be continuously upheld.
This year’s ceremony took place on 11 November at Studio Hrdinů in Prague’s Veletržní Palace, broadcast live by Czech Television. Nine finalists were selected from a record 106 nominations, with three ultimately receiving awards.
Alongside Kamenská, secondary school student Anna Julie Wittmannová from Olomouc was recognised for combining education with charitable initiatives, while Martin Pisarčik from the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague was honoured for his advocacy of ethics and fairness in academia.
The awards are organised by the Student Chamber of the Council of Higher Education Institutions and the civic association Díky, že můžem (‘Thanks, that we can’), connecting student activism with volunteering and education to celebrate young changemakers across the country.
For more information, visit www.cenyjanaopletala.cz.
