President Robert L. Manuel > Meet Rob & Team > Opus Prize 2026

Opus Prize: Uplifting the Dignity of All

DePaul University is honored to have been selected to host the 2026 Opus Prize. The annual award from the Opus Prize Foundation honors individuals and organizations whose work, rooted in faith, addresses some of the most persistent social challenges of our time. The laureate is awarded $1 million, and two finalists receive $100,000 awards to support their organizations.

DePaul is pleased to announce this year’s finalists: Three portrait photos of a woman wearing bright print dress, a man with a beard, and a white-haired man.

From left: Fr. David Kelly, Fr. Vitaliy Novak, Nontsasa Nyovane (Photos by Meg Oliphant)

Fr. David Kelly (Chicago, IL, USA)

The Rev. David Kelly, C.PP.S., is a Catholic priest of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood and the executive director of the Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation (PBMR) , a restorative justice organization founded in 2002 in Chicago’s Back of the Yards/Englewood community.

Fr. Vitaliy Novak (Kyiv, Ukraine)

The Rev. Vitaliy Novak, C.M., is the founding CEO of Depaul Ukraine, which for more than 20 years has been dedicated to serving people experiencing homelessness.

Nontsasa Nyovane (Cape Town, South Africa)

Ms. Nontsasa Nyovane is the founder of Siyakhathala (“We Care”) organization in Harare, Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa. Founded in 2009, Siyakhathala cares for children who have lost one or both parents, often due to violence or HIV/AIDS.

Celebrate Opus Prize Week

Finalists and their organizations will join us for a week of events, Oct. 26-29, culminating in an awards ceremony.

Explore the week of events

Note from the President

DePaul President Robert L. Manuel shared the significance of this award for the university and invited the community to Opus Prize Week.

More about the Opus Prize at DePaul

The theme for DePaul’s Opus Prize year, “Uplifting the Dignity of All,” reflects the university’s Catholic, Vincentian mission and commitment to advancing human dignity through education and service. While the Opus Prize Foundation partners with a Catholic university to award the prize each year, the individual or organization receiving it may have roots in any faith.

DePaul has deep connections to the Opus Prize. Alumnus Rami Nashashibi (’95, LAS) was named Opus Prize Laureate in 2018 for his community organizing, addressing poverty and disinvestment in urban communities. He is the founder of Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN).

Our entire community has shaped this initiative. Find out more about the student, faculty and staff ambassadors who completed site visits, and the faculty and staff who guided the work on our Steering Committee. Meet the trustees and supporters who served on our jury.