The Order for Merits to Lithuania ( lt, Ordinas Už nuopelnus Lietuvai) is an award, presented by the

President of Lithuania The President of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos Prezidentas) is the head of state of Lithuania. The officeholder has been Gitanas Nausėda since 12 July 2019. Powers The president has somewhat more executive authority t ...

, which may be conferred on the citizens of Lithuania and foreign nationals for distinguished services promoting name of

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

, expanding a develop international relationships, for distinguished merits in social, culture, science, business, sport, military and in other areas. The award is presented in five classes, in ascending order, Knight, Officer, Commander, Grand Commander, and Grand Cross.

Appearance

The insignia of all of the classes contains a five-pointed cross is made of gold and covered with white enamel varying in size depending on the grade of the award. An oxidized silver Vytis is centered on the Cross with rays between the edges. The reverse of the cross depicts the coats of arms of

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...

Kaunas Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Traka ...

Klaipėda Klaipėda (; ; german: Memel; pl, Kłajpeda; russian: Клайпеда; sgs, Klaipieda) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. The capital of the eponymous county, it is the third largest city and the only major seaport in Lithuania ...

Šiauliai Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County. Names Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different la ...

, and

Panevėžys Panevėžys (; Latin: ''Panevezen''; pl, Poniewież; yi, פּאָנעװעזש, ''Ponevezh''; see also other names) is the fifth largest city in Lithuania. As of 2011, it occupied with 113,653 inhabitants. As defined by Eurostat, the population ...

. Inscribed in the center is "Pro Lituania" and 2002. The ribbon is red moiré, with yellow and green stripes at the edges. The cross is attached to the ribbon by a device which depicts the area for which the award was made. * Columns of Gediminas: Civil Service and International Relations *Three Oak Leaves: Humanitarian Aid *An Open Book: Culture and Education *Wings of Mercury: Business and Industry *Staff of Aesculapius: Health Care and Social Welfare *Crossed Swords: Military Affairs *Torch: Sports The rank of Grand Cross was awarded to

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

swimming gold medalist

Rūta Meilutytė Rūta Meilutytė (; born 19 March 1997) is a Lithuanian swimmer. An Olympic gold medalist, she is a world record holder in the short course 50 metre breaststroke and 100 metre breaststroke. She is a former world record holder in the long course ...

on 10 August 2012 by Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė for her achievement in sports. *Recipients of the medal are not inducted into the Order for Merits to Lithuania.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Order For Merits To Lithuania Merits to Lithuania Orders of merit Awards established in 2002