The Pontis Foundation will present the Via Bona Slovakia 2021 awards in 7 categories:

• Responsible Large Company
• Responsible Small/Medium Company
• Outstanding Employer
• Green Company
• Good Partner of the Community
• Socially Innovative Company
• Fair Market Player

For years, Via Bona has focused on inspiring and innovative projects of companies, which are worth following. However, in the 20 years of the award’s existence, many of these exceptional activities have gradually become standard in companies, such as corporate volunteering or employee training and development. „This development must be taken into account. We want to continue to reward things which are still not the standard, but we believe that they could become one, partly due to our award,“ Michal Kišša, Director of the Pontis Foundation, says.

Categories have changed

• The category Great Employer and the special award entitled Employer Friendly to Family, Gender Equality and Equal Opportunities have undergone a fundamental change. In the current year of Via Bona Slovakia, both awards have been merged into one category entitled Outstanding Employer, which aims to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. „This change also reflects the current situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which has deepened existing inequalities. Groups disadvantaged in the labour market got into an even worse situation, and at the same time, new vulnerable groups, such as working parents of minors and people with mental health problems, have emerged. They all need an empathic approach from their employers,” Kišša explains. It is companies that strive to create the best possible working conditions for diverse groups of employees and to promote effective inclusion that will be able to apply for the Outstanding Employer Award.
• After last year’s break, the Fair Market Player category returns to Via Bona Slovakia. In this category, the organiser of the award expects projects which companies have implemented in response to the coronavirus pandemic, with an aim to make the situation easier for their partners. It can be activities towards customers, suppliers and other business partners, which show an above-standard approach of the company in the crisis.
• In the traditional Good Partner of the Community category, the Pontis Foundation will award projects which have addressed the pandemic by focusing their assistance on helping the community.
• The Social Innovations category changed its title to Socially Innovative Company, but its content remained unchanged. Companies which may apply are those whose innovative solutions or products address social or environmental problems and create positive social change.

What is the process of evaluation of projects nominated for Via Bona Slovakia? 

All nominations included in the evaluation process are assessed by independent committees composed of representatives from the business sector, government, the media, the non-governmental sector and educational institutions. The committees evaluate the nomination sheets in two rounds, preceded by an individual evaluation. At their first meeting, the committees decide which nominations advance to the finals. At the second meeting, which includes personal presentations of the final nominations, the committee members select the winner in each category. The names of the award winners, together with the names of the members of the evaluation committees, will be published by the organiser at the award ceremony.