The Preseren Prize for lifetime achievement and the lesser Preseren Fund Prizes are as a rule presented on the eve of Culture Day, the national holiday commemorating the death day of Slovenia's greatest poet, France Preseren (1800-1849).
The Preseren Fund Board generally announced the names of the Preseren Prize winners and nominees for the Preseren Fund Prize two months before the award ceremony, on 3 December, the day of Preseren's birth.
But for the first time last year, the board decided to leave both the general public and the winners in the dark about its decisions until the February ceremony.
This year however, the winners have been notified, but the public will be held hostage of the suspense. According to Skrusny, this is being done so that the excitement surrounding the Preseren prizes gradually builds up until reaching the climax at the 7th February grand ceremony.
He explained that this year, the Preseren Fund would present two Preseren Prizes and six Preseren Fund Prizes. Over 90 nominations have been made for the prizes, 24 of which for literature, 22 for music, 27 for fine arts and 25 for scenography.
Being the most prestigious prize handed out to artists in Slovenia, the Preseren Fund Board has at disposal slightly over EUR 173,000, with the Preseren Prize for lifetime achievement weighting EUR 21,000, while the lesser Preseren Fund Prizes are worth EUR 7,000 in total.
The main ceremony is meanwhile to cost about EUR 52,000.