The award, named after the Lithuanian literary giant Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius, known for his deep exploration of Lithuania's past, is a testament to Skujaitė's powerful storytelling. The prestigious literary prize was awarded on October 18, 2024, for her novel "War Bride".

For artistically valuable literary work

In 2022, the Alytus Region Development Council (consisting of representatives from Alytus City and District Municipalities, as well as Druskininkai, Lazdijai, and Varėna District Municipalities) established a prize for a new, artistically valuable literary work published in the past two calendar years that reflects the spirit of the famous Dainava region writer V. Krėvė-Mickevičius.

2024 Dainava Region Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius Literary Prize was awarded to journalist, communication specialist, television show and documentary film scriptwriter Ilona Skujaitė for her debut historical novel "War Bride", which tells the story of Catherine Jagiellon, Duchess of Finland and Queen of Sweden, and her husband, Prince of Sweden and Duke of Finland John Vasa. This literary prize has already been awarded to Doctor of Humanities, historian Bernardas Gailius for his book "Kraujo kvapas" and writer Donald Kajokas for his prose trilogy.

Historical relevance: connection to current events in Ukraine

Presenting the award to the laureate, the mayor of Varėna Municipality and historian Algis Kašėta spoke about the story described in the novel, comparing the brutal war with Moscow to the events in Ukraine in recent years. He presented the laureate with a sculpture created especially for this occasion by the ceramic artist Aušra Deltuvienė, based on Krėvė's short story "Skerdžius".

The mayor said that at the beginning of the 20th century, Krėvė himself collected material about Vladislav Vasa, who died in Merkinė town. And the main heroine of the book that won the literary prize is Catherine Jagiellon, who was Vladislav Vasa's grandmother. “This book is a great opportunity to touch upon our historical figures and their dramatic history. Moreover, it is related to current events, as the times of the Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible are very similar to Putin's Russia. What the Russian soldiers are doing in Ukraine today is very similar to what Ivan the Terrible's army did in Vilnius – they killed and destroyed. For us historians, this is one of the most terrible experiences for the Lithuanian land,” said A. Kašėta.