Opus Prize Week: Dialogue with the Finalists

Ideas that change the world.

Students, faculty and staff are invited to join the Opus Prize Finalists for a morning of dialogue to hear about their global impact -- serving people displaced by war, providing safe spaces for children experiencing neglect or abuse, and promoting restorative justice. The finalists will share the role of dialogue in their work. At round table discussions, we’ll reflect as a community on inspired solutions for some of the world’s most pressing problems. 
 

About the Opus Prize at DePaul

DePaul University is hosting the finalists of the 2026 Opus Prize, bringing faith-based, global humanitarians together for a week of dialogue, celebration, and community engagement. Through opportunities for reflection, storytelling, and community celebration, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends are invited to engage with and honor these inspiring changemakers.

The Opus Prize Foundation awards $1 million to the laureate and $100,000 each to the remaining two finalists.

Meet this year’s finalists:

• ​The Rev. David Kelly, C.PP.S., is 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.
• 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 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.

Read more about the finalists and find an Opus Prize Week 2026 event to attend: go.depaul.edu/opusprize.

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