The first ever presidential award for human rights work was given to lawyer Katarina Bervar Sternad. President Nataša Pirc Musar introduced the award to raise awareness about the importance of human rights. Lawyer Bervar Sternad heads the PIC Legal Centre for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, and also contributed to the forming of the Legal Network for the Protection of Democracy a few years ago. The president's office also praised her as one of the most prominent figures in the field of preventing violence against women and domestic violence.