In short
- Liberland awarded Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin its top prize at ETH Prague 2026.
- The award recognized Buterin’s work in blockchain technology and his interest in new forms of digital governance.
- Liberland, which was founded in 2015 on land disputed between Croatia and Serbia, remains unrecognized by either country.
Liberland, a self-proclaimed micronation chosen ones Tron founder Justin Sun as Prime Minister in 2024, was given Ethereum Co-founder Vitalik Buterin his top honor this week at ETHPrague 2026 in Prague.
President of Liberland Vít Jedlička presented Buterin with the “First Class Order of Merit of the Star of Liberland” at a side ceremony at the event. Ethereum– regular meeting.
“Liberland celebrates a shared vision in honor of Vitalik Buterin—using technology to increase human rights and testing new ways of managing the digital world,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Liberland.
In the movie has been sent On YouTube, Buterin thanked the Liberland team and praised the project for its progress.
“I hope to see what kind of cooperation we can have between our communities, and if the things that have been built will be useful to the people there, or if there are other things that can be done at some point,” he said. “I just wish you guys the best.”
A micronation refers to a self-styled organization that claims to be an independent nation, but is not recognized by any formal government or international organization. Similar jobs include the Leadership of Sealand and the Republic of Molossia.
Founded in 2015, Liberland is a small independent region on disputed territory between Croatia and Serbia along the Danube River, although neither country recognizes it as an independent state. The same year it started, the Croatian police to be arrested Jedlička when he tried to enter the area. Despite this, the project continues to attract activists, crypto startups, and blockchain developers interested in alternative governance systems.
Since its inception, Liberland has also marketed itself as a cryptocurrency, and aims to run on-chain government systems through blockchain voting systems. The Sun has called Liberland “a blueprint for the future of freedom in the digital age.”
“Liberland is not just a country; it is a blueprint for the future of freedom in the digital age,” said Sun words October is over. “With our blockchain at the core, we’re building a meritocracy where innovation thrives without limits.”
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