Winners of "Free Word" contest awarded on World Press Freedom Day

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The jury of the "Free Word" contest have read more than 100 reports from 50 journalists. According to Chairman of the jury Yuras Karmanau, it was more than difficult to choose the best ones.

Yuras Karmanau: "More than a hundred works were presented for the contest this year, and about 50 journalists wanted to participate in it. This is in fact twice more than last year. The competition grows. Only the best of the best win."

             Yuras Karmanau

Journalist of "Narodnaya Volya" Svyatlana Kalinkina won the nomination "Best analytical publication" for her material "Torture". The winner confessed that she had written an analytical material under the influence of...age and circumstances.

Svyatlana Kalinkina: "Both the age and the events "favored" that most of my materials were analytical last year." I am very grateful that my texts were so highly appreciated, this text in particular, and I want to wish all of you, and myself, good news, good circumstances, and light and joyful events both in this year, and in the upcoming year".

               Svyatlana Kalinkina

Winner of the nomination "Best publication in feature journalism" Anastasia Zelyankova made the audience laugh by her confession that she proved to CEC Chairperson Lidziya Yarmoshyna that a woman is capable not only of cooking borshch, by her victory. 

Anastasia Zelyankova: "It is important for me to be a mother and a wife, but it is also important to be someone worthy in my profession. I managed to succeed in both!"

           Anastasia Zelyankova

The Embassy of the Republic of Slovakia helped the Belarusian Association of Journalists to organize the contest. Ambassador Marian Servatka admits that such cooperation is very important for both countries.

Marian Servatka: "I want to greet the people who got these awards today. This is important for the history of the Belarusian journalism - and for the Belarusian-Slovakian relations as well. As I see here both the young classics of the Belarusian journalism and the beginners".

When the event was about to finish, BAJ Chairperson Zhanna Litvina turned the public's attention that it was aimed to coincide with the World Press Freedom Day.

Zhanna Litvina: "The most important thing about today is that today we mark the World Press Freedom Day. I hope that our voices will join the chorus of voices of the international community - for the right to do our profession, for the freedom of press, for absence of censorship. I would like all of us to live with a feeling of being a part of the international journalistic community".

Yuras Karmanau says that he has even become bald because of reading such big number of materials this year. Besides, the Chairman of the jury claims: they will do their best so that the number of participants of the "Free Word-2013" would be no less than this year. It is frightening to think what will be the consequences of it for him...

Nomination "Best informational material"

1st place

Syamyon Pechanko (newspaper "Nasha Niva" , text "Reporting from a banned city”)

2nd place

Zmitser Lukashuk ("Euroradio", text "Yarmoshyna: Why I cannot be as free as Darafeyeu or Niakliayeu?")

3rd place

Klim Khaletski (34mag.net, text "Second blood. Fight club in Belarusian")

Nomination "Best analytical publication"

1st place

Svyatlana Kalinkina (newspaper "Narodnaya Volya", text "Torture")

2nd place

Ales' Herasimenka (Generation.by, "Our language is not sexy")

3rd place

Zmitser Pankavets (newspaper "Nasha Niva", text "60 higher officials: who are they?")

Nomination "Best publication in feature journalism"

1st place

Anastasia Zelyankova (online newspaper "Solidarity", text "A girl to oder")

2nd place

Ruslan Harbachou (online newspaper "Solidarity", text  "How "all-Belarusian senior" was killed")

3rd place

Zmitser Pankavets, Andrey Dynko (newspaper "Nasha Niva", text "With iron in blood")

Nomination "Journalistic investigation" 

1st place

Yauhen Valsohyn (newspaper "Zviazda", text "Designer drugs invasion. How a profiteer sold me euphoria powder")

2nd place

Maryia Eysmant (newspaper "Narodnaya volya", texts "Last ring?", "Deaf court")

Nomination "Debut"

1st place

Maryia Malevich (newspaper "Narodnaya volia", text "Who in Belarus has earned for a Bentley?")

2nd place

Tatsyana Shaputska (TUT.by, text "How thousands of dollars are earned illegally on international travel")

3rd place

Znitser Andronau (newspaper "Infa-Courier, text "One day when I was Belarusian-speaking")

"Jury's special prize"

Ina Khomich (newspaper "Brestski Courier", text "Once an old lady had two funny geese")

Photo: Zmitser Lukashuk