The Order for Merits to Lithuania () is an award, presented by the

President of Lithuania The president of the Republic of Lithuania () is the head of state of the Republic of Lithuania. The president directs and appoints the executive branch of the Government of Lithuania, represents the nation internationally and is the commande ...

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

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, 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, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

, 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 ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

Klaipėda Klaipėda ( ; ) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. It is the List of cities in Lithuania, third-largest city in Lithuania, the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, fifth-largest city in the Baltic States, and the capi ...

Šiauliai Šiauliai ( ; ) is a city in northern Lithuania, the List of cities in Lithuania, country's fourth largest city and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, sixth largest city in the Baltic States, with a population of 112 581 in 202 ...

, and

Panevėžys Panevėžys () is the fifth-largest List of cities in Lithuania, city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, eighth-most-populous city in the Baltic States. it occupies with 89,100 inhabitants. As defined by Eu ...

. 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 The Columns of Gediminas or Pillars of Gediminas (, ; , 'Columns') are one of the earliest symbols of Lithuania and its historical Coat of arms, coats of arms. They were used in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, initially as a rulers' personal insigni ...

: 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 (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...

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, 100 metre breaststroke and long course 50 metre breaststroke. She is a former ...

on 10 August 2012 by Lithuanian President

Dalia Grybauskaitė Dalia Grybauskaitė (; born 1 March 1956) is a Lithuanian politician who served as the eighth president of Lithuania from 2009 to 2019. She is the first and so far only woman to hold the position and in 2014 she became the first President of Li ...

for her achievement in sports. A lesser award is the Medal of the Order for Merits to Lithuania. Recipients of the medal are not inducted into the Order for Merits to Lithuania.

Recipients

* Recipients of the Order for Merits to Lithuania

References

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