Film artist Karpo Godina received the award for his life's work, while Jani Virk, the EnKnappGroup and Nataša and Ravil Sultanov received awards for their work over the last two years.
Karpo Godina – one of the greatest Slovene film artists
The explanation for the lifetime award states that Godina is one of the greatest Slovene artists in the field of film. This is evidenced by a worldwide myriad of retrospectives dedicated to his work, awards from most important European and global festivals and by the fact that his works are constantly to be found on the international listings featuring the greatest and most outstanding works in the history of film art.
He has been and still is a role model for many generations of film artists. With his original approach to serious themes and his unique irony, Godina has managed to bring his works closer to a wider audience. He left his mark in the cinematography of former Yugoslavia. As a cinematographer, Godina collaborated with the greatest directors in the region, co-creating their ground-breaking works. Godina has also left his mark in Slovene theatre.

The personal courage and refusal to compromise of Jani Virk
The Župančič Award for work over the last two years was given to Jani Virk, writer, poet, translator and editor in RTV’s cultural and artistic programme. His novels, short stories, poems, essays, scenarios and reflections are marked by personal courage and a refusal to compromise. The explanation states that Virk does not use the author's vehemence to advocate adopted moral norms and philosophical attitudes, but his courage instead resides in the fact that he calls out the foundation of every dogmatic truth and society's ideology.