The Jonas Kazlauskas Prize was awarded to Baltic Studies researcher Prof. Dr. Jurgis Pakeris

On August 1, commemorating the 95th anniversary of the birth of linguist Jonas Kazlauskas, an event dedicated to the memory of the professor was held in his hometown, Matiešionys, during which the Birštonas Municipality Prize was awarded for the ninth time. This year's laureate was the well-known linguist and Baltic studies researcher Prof. Dr. Jurgis Pakerys.

Prof. Dr. J. Pakerys is a graduate of Vilnius University, with a degree in Lithuanian philology and Baltic linguistics. In 2005, he defended his doctoral dissertation “Formation of Mixed and Suffixed Verbs in the 16th Century Lithuanian Minor Printed Texts” at Vilnius University and has been working at this university since then, as a professor at the Department of Baltic Studies. He teaches the subjects “Introduction to Linguistics”, “Introduction to Language Typology”, “Lithuanian Language Contacts and Contexts” to undergraduate students, and the subjects “General Morphology”, “Baltic Sea Region as a Linguistic Area” to graduate students, and supervises research projects at all levels. In 2005–2010, he worked at the Institute of the Lithuanian Language. The laureate has given courses and lectures on the Baltic languages and their phenomena at various foreign universities — Latvia, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Princeton and others, participated in international scientific congresses and conferences, led and participated in various scientific research projects. He has published more than 40 articles in Lithuanian and English in internationally recognized publications. Some of them are devoted to the study of verbs in the Baltic languages, others to the issues of Lithuanian word formation. Prof. Dr. J. Pakerys also significantly contributes to the presentation of the Baltic languages to the international scientific community.

The prize, worth 1,000 euros, is awarded every five years to Lithuanian or foreign linguists for significant research into the Lithuanian language or Baltic studies by the decision of the Birštonas Municipality Council. It was presented to the laureate by Birštonas Municipality Mayor Nijolė Dirginčienė. The event was also attended by Birštonas Municipality Vice-Mayors Edvardas Citvaras and Vytas Kederys, Administration Director Jovita Tirvienė, Member of the European Parliament Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, Vice-Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania Andrius Palionis, Mayor of Prienai District Municipality Alvydas Vaicekauskas, Vice-Mayor Deividas Dargužis, Advisor to Member of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania Jūratė Zailskienė Dalia Bredelienė, representatives of the Department of Baltic Studies of Vilnius University, relatives of Jonas Kazlauskas and other honored guests.

Birštonas Municipality announced the Jonas Kazlauskas Prize.