Three VMU Students Awarded the Signatory Saliamonas Banaitis Scholarship

On June 18, during the Faculty of Arts graduation ceremony at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), the Signatory of the Act of Independence of Lithuania Saliamonas Banaitis Scholarship was symbolically awarded. This year, three VMU students received the scholarship. The scholarship is awarded annually to support and encourage the university’s most talented students conducting research related to the figures, organizations, events, or processes of the First Republic of Lithuania (1918–1940), particularly those connected to the life and legacy of Saliamonas Banaitis.

This year, the scholarship was awarded to Povilas Mikalauskas, a PhD student in History and Archaeology at the VMU Faculty of Humanities, for his research on the image of Lithuania in North German Protestant press during the 16th–17th centuries. His study is based on a thorough analysis of historical sources—from travel diaries to maps—and reveals how Lithuania’s image was shaped within the European informational landscape. The topic is especially relevant due to Banaitis’ ties with the region of Prussia, which became a focal point of the doctoral research. Povilas highlights the importance of his work: “This research is relevant for our times—first, by tracing the genealogy of Lithuania’s image, we can better understand how (and why) Lithuania is perceived the way it is by contemporary Europeans. Second, this helps us better understand ourselves and our European cultural identity.”

Andrėja Stulginskienė at the Faculty of Arts graduation ceremony

The scholarship was also awarded to Andrėja Stulginskienė, a Master’s student in Theatre Studies and Stage Arts Management at the VMU Faculty of Arts, for her theatre work fostering historical memory and honoring Banaitis through stage art. Andrėja has written a script for the performance Jo pėdomis (In His Footsteps), scheduled to premiere on July 6 in Tytuvėnai. The performance explores themes of state-building, national identity, and Lithuanian historical figures—including Banaitis himself. Her creative work blends professional theatre, amateur troupes, and elements of folklore, thereby expanding cultural education opportunities in regional areas. The scholarship will support the implementation of this ambitious project, which is expected to tour various Lithuanian towns and cities.

The third scholarship recipient is Karina Piečaitytė, a Master’s student in Creative Industries at the VMU Faculty of Arts. She was awarded the scholarship for a series of original bookplates (ex libris) dedicated to the memory of Banaitis, his family, and his activities, contributing to Lithuania’s cultural remembrance. Karina is currently creating 13 bookplates depicting various aspects of Banaitis’ life—from his publishing work to educational and civic initiatives. These bookplates serve not only as artistic interpretations but also as a contemporary visual archive that invites a renewed appreciation of one of Lithuania’s key historical figures. Graphic arts are Karina’s creative strength, which she purposefully applies to the preservation of cultural memory.

The Saliamonas Banaitis Scholarship was established at VMU in 2016 by his grandchildren living in Canada, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the restoration of the Lithuanian state.

The first Banaitis Scholarship was awarded in 2016 to Neringa Krikščiūnaitė, a graduate of the VMU Faculty of Arts Master’s program in Art Curatorship, for her research on the interwar Lithuanian artist Marija Minginaitė. In 2018, the scholarship went to Gediminas Kasparavičius, a PhD student in History at the Faculty of Humanities, for his research on the history of Lithuanian steamship companies. In 2020, the scholarship was awarded to Gerda Pilipaitytė, a PhD student in Philology at the Faculty of Humanities, for her article “The Work of Julija Pranaitytė: The Relationship between Nationalism and Interculturalism.” In 2021, it was awarded to Paulina Okunytė, a Master’s student in Creative Industries at the Faculty of Arts, for her research on the development of Lithuanian culture and the family farming economy.

In 2022, the scholarship was awarded to Greta Dirsė, a Master’s student in the History of Central Eastern Europe and Lithuania at the Faculty of Humanities, for her research on the activities of Eastern culture promoters in interwar Lithuania. The sixth Banaitis Scholarship was awarded in 2023 to three recipients: Dalel Laachi, a Master’s student in Business Logistics at the VMU Agriculture Academy’s Faculty of Bioeconomy Development, for her innovative technological methods in transportation logistics; Ndiapa Sigalla Williams, a graduate of the same program, for his work on smart technologies in logistics; and Hirotaka Tamura, a graduate of the VMU Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy’s Future Media and Journalism program, for his research on information transmission and dissemination in the digital age. Last year, the scholarship was granted to Kotryna Sarapinaitė, a Master’s student in Central Eastern European and Lithuanian History at the Faculty of Humanities, for her research on Lithuanian and global gastronomic culture.

Saliamonas Banaitis (1866–1933) was a prominent figure in the society and politics of Independent Lithuania, a member of the Council of Lithuania, a signatory of the Act of Independence, and a former law student at VMU.