The award was presented for the fruitful development of relations between government and church in contemporary Russia and the promotion of interfaith dialogue.
The 2009 prize winners included Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, film director Emir Kusturica (Serbia), and St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (New York, USA).
The award for the Unity of Orthodox Peoples is being presented for the tenth time. Since 2009 it bears the name of Patriarch Alexy II (1929–2008) who initiated its creation.