The Medal of Heroism is principally a military award, but has occasionally been awarded to civilian

Civilian

A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...

s. It rewards acts of "heroism in combat" or those "deeds aimed at saving other human lives or substantial material values" which put the recipient at significant risk of death. It is unique amongst current Czech decorations in that it has only a single grade or class.

Appearance

The medal is a simple breast ribbon

Ribbon

A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily for binding and tying. Cloth ribbons, most commonly silk, are often used in connection with clothing, but are also applied for innumerable useful, ornamental and symbolic purposes...

, primarily gold in color, but with three equal-width stripes running the vertical length of the ribbon. From left to right, the colors of the stripes are white, red and blue. Suspended from this ribbon is a silver medal, bearing the Greater Coat of Arms of the Czech Republic on one side, and a symbol representing heroism on the other. The medal bears no text inscription.

History

The Medal of Heroism predates the Czech Republic, having been created in 1990 by the Parliament of the Czechoslovak Federal Republic in 1990. However, the distinction was only awarded once prior to its reauthorization by the Czech Republic in 1992.