Initiated by playwright Vaclav Havel, poet and artist Jiri Kolar, and artist Theodor Pistek, the Jindřich Chalupecký Award was first presented in 1990 and envisioned as an annual award. The award was named to honor the philosopher, art and literary critic Jindrich Chalupecky for his lifetime achievements and unwavering position in promoting freedom of thought and expression as the pre-requisite for the existence of art.



The Award has been presented to an artist up to 35 years old in an open and transparent competition process every year since its inception. The Jindrich Chalupecky Society, a civic association was founded to manage the annual competition. The finalists and the winner are selected by an expert jury, whose members are appointed for a period of two years.