In 2024, the National Historical and Memorial Reserve Babyn Yar established its own distinction — the “Living Memory” Award, created to honor individuals whose work has made a significant contribution to preserving the memory of the Babyn Yar tragedy and ensuring it is never forgotten.

The commemorative sign, designed especially for the Reserve by Kyiv-based artist and jeweler Denys Muzyka, is crafted from titanium in the form of a tree cross-section with annual rings.

Its symbolism reflects the continuity of history, the accumulation of experience, and the persistence of memory. Each ring represents a year that has left its trace in our shared history, embodying resilience and the responsibility to preserve the memory of crimes against humanity.

The “Living Memory” Award seeks to recognize those who, through their dedication, research, artistic expression, and civic engagement, help safeguard the remembrance of Babyn Yar and counter the threat of oblivion.

In 2024, the following laureates were honored:

• No. 0001 — Matviy Vaisberg, artist, creator of the Babyn Yar mural series
• No. 0002 — Ihor Korsunskyi, civic activist
• No. 0003 — Yuliia Korsunska, civic activist
• No. 0004 — Yevhen Horodetskyi, Holocaust scholar, civic activist, initiator of the annual Babyn Yar March of Memory
• No. 0005 — Yuliia Goldenberg, cultural manager, curator of memory projects, founder of the charity foundation For Your Sake, which supports the Righteous Among the Nations from Ukraine
• No. 0006 — Margarita Yakovlieva (Ormotsadze), journalist, writer, author of books on history and culture, advocate for the Righteous Among the Nations from Ukraine
• No. 0007 — Dmytro Yurinov, civic activist, initiator of the annual Babyn Yar March of Memory
• No. 0008 — Pavlo Kozlenko, historian, founder and director of the Museum of Genocide Territory of Memory

In 2025, the following laureates were honored:

• No. 0009 — Serhii Kyslytsia, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations; First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
• No. 0010 — Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine
• No. 0011 — Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine
• No. 0012 — Diana Popova (posthumously), Director of the Museum of the History of Kyiv

In 2026, the distinction was awarded to:

• No. 0013 — Yevhen Nyshchuk, Director General and Artistic Director of the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theatre; Minister of Culture of Ukraine (2014; 2016–2019)
• No. 0014 — Faina Baiek, Head of the Jewish Community of the town of Bratslav
• No. 0015 — Anatolii Podolskyi, Director of the Ukrainian Center for Holocaust Studies

The Living Memory Award was first presented internationally at the Biennale of Contemporary Jewelry Art in Israel, as an example of how contemporary art can serve as a language of remembrance.