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:

• №0001 — Matviy Vaisberg, artist, creator of the Babyn Yar mural series
• №0002 — Ihor Korsunskyi, civic activist
• №0003 — Yuliia Korsunska, civic activist
• №0004 — Yevhen Horodetskyi, Holocaust scholar, civic activist, initiator of the annual Babyn Yar March of Memory
• №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
• №0006 — Margarita Yakovlieva (Ormotsadze), journalist, writer, author of books on history and culture, advocate for the Righteous Among the Nations from Ukraine
• №0007 — Dmytro Yurinov, civic activist, initiator of the annual Babyn Yar March of Memory
• №0008 — Pavlo Kozlenko, historian, founder and director of the Museum of Genocide Territory of Memory
• №0009 — Sergiy Kyslytsya, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations; First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (2014–2020)

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.