On 8 May 2015, on the occasion of the City Holiday of Ljubljana, a gala meeting of the City Council of the City of Ljubljana was held at the Ljubljana Castle, at which the highest city recognitions were presented. The title Honorary Citizen of Ljubljana was awarded to Prof. Zora Konjajev, PhD, and Prof. Marko Vrhunec, PhD.

The title Honorary Citizen is the highest recognition of the City of Ljubljana bestowed upon individuals who have significantly contributed to the reputation, importance and development of the city and to the promotion of good intercity and international relations.

The City of Ljubljana awarded the title Honorary Citizen to Prof. Zora Konjajev, PhD

partisan medical worker, fighter for women’s rights, world renowned pediatrician, university professor and publicist, for her worthy actions during the Second World War in the Anti-Fascist Front and at a partisan civil hospital as well as for her post-war pioneer work in pediatrics when she set the highest professional standards in infant care and has, at the same time, humanised the filed by accommodating mothers with infants and allowing the fathers to be present during hospitalization. During her tenure as professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Ljubljana she made her name as the founder of neonatology, pioneered the field of hospital hygiene, introduced a neurological research method for infants, established principles for preventing severe jaundice in infants, introduced diagnostics, preoperative and postoperative care of infants and became an internationally renowned scientist with her pioneering discovery in regard to cytomegalovirus infection.

The City of Ljubljana awarded the title Honorary Citizen to Prof. Marko Vrhunec, PhD

partisan liberator, renowned economist, distinguished diplomat, university professor and publicist, for his heroic actions in the National Liberation War and liberation of Ljubljana led by the X Strike Brigade Ljubljana, for his outstanding contribution to the breakthrough of Slovenian economy on the international scene, state-forming activities in cooperation with Marshal Tito and preservation of positive heritage of Titoism, zealous political participation in the bodies of the formal federative state, successful ambassadorial mission in Geneva as well as scientific and pedagogical work at the Faculty of Social Studies and the Faculty of Economy in Ljubljana. In his journalistic opus the visionary Marko Vrhunec reminds the Slovenian and world consciousness of the National Liberation War values which should lead the contemporary world into a new social order, prevent unjust social stratification and bring about welfare for all.

Recipients of the City of Ljubljana Award:

- director, screen writer, playwright and translator Barbara Hieng Samobor for her outstanding creative and artistic work and successful management of the Ljubljana City Theatre,
- singer Elda Viler Dežman for her outstanding achievements in Slovenian popular music,
- academic painter Assist. Prof. Huiqin Wang for her artistic achievements and contribution to bringing the Slovenian and Chinese culture and art closer together,
- political scientist Janko Heberle for his activities in the Ljubljana social sphere, his long standing leadership of the City Committee of the Alliance of Fighters’ Associations and the preservation of National Liberation War values,
- Janoš Kern for his successful management of institutions and implementation of projects livening the cultural-artistic pulse of the old city centre.

Recipients of the City of Ljubljana Plaque:

- Nevenka Lekše for dedicating her life to health-care,
- Franc Gornik for his love and dedication in leading male, girls’ and mixed choirs as well as the police and army brass orchestra,
- Pioneer Home – Youth Culture Centre for its long tradition of organising and carrying out educational and cultural programmes for children and the youth for the past 50 years,
- Scout Association of Slovenia, national scout organisation, for its basic humanitarian and educational mission within the voluntary youth organisation – since 1994 a full member of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement.

The City Holiday was also marked by the March along the Barbed Wire and the Three-Member Team Run which attracted almost 39,000 participants.