“Ubavka Janevska and Vesna Kolovska are the winners of the “Ilija Zhupanoski” Award from Metamorphosis” – Meta.mk

Ubavka Janevska and Vesna Kolovska are the winners of the “Ilija Zhupanoski” Award for the best journalistic work, i.e. professional work prepared by civil society organizations and individuals, which the Metamorphosis Foundation awarded for the second time at the e-Society.mk conference. Their work “Conti with Chinese connections under British guise took the savings of Macedonian citizens” won the award worth 2,000 euros in denar equivalent.

The award for educational multimedia content prepared for young people aged 18 to 28, worth 1,000 euros in denar equivalent, was awarded to Igor Stojanov and Toni Mihailov for the project “Stolen identity: how artificial intelligence was used to abuse the name of Dr. Nikola Panovski?”

Ubavka Janevska, who comes from Veles, thanked the members of the Commission and the Metamorphosis Foundation, which is one of the rare organizations that recognizes the work of journalists from the interior of the country.

“The theme of the award-winning investigative story is actually a story built precisely on exposing disinformation related to the Conti pyramid and the entry of thousands of citizens not only from Veles, but also from Negotino, Shtip, Radovish, and Skopje, which we discovered in several Telegram groups, one of which alone had more than 14,200 members,” said Janevska.

As she added, it was essentially a game, and most citizens believed they were helping build the ratings of a Hollywood film production, when in reality they were part of a pyramid scheme where only the first participants won and the rest lost their money.

“The investigation led us from Slovenia to the UK, where Conti had its headquarters, and to the individuals in China, the United Arab Emirates, and Cambodia who were behind the company,” Janevska said.

She then spoke about Ilija Zhupanoski himself, whom she met as a successful youth activist at the Youth Educational Forum (YEF) and who fulfilled his role as director impeccably.

“I remember all the meetings we had, but I want to say that it is a special honor for me to be one of the winners of this award and I wish that it will continue to be awarded and that the name of Ilija Zhupanoski will enter the homes of many journalists in our country,” said Janevska.

Igor Stojanov from Goce.mk also expressed his gratitude to Metamorphosis, adding that he is honored to receive this award.

“Considering that Goce.mk is a youth portal, this story produced 25 outputs, including short videos, carousels, infographics, and even a guide to internet safety. We couldn’t have done this alone, it is the work of the entire Goce.mk team, and we thank everyone,” said Stojanov. He added that the story about Dr. Panovski is extremely important, as it concerns human health and such manipulations can drastically impact citizens’ lives.

Elida Zylbeari, Project Manager at the Metamorphosis Foundation, noted that the awards are dedicated to those who work daily to expose manipulation and disseminate accurate information.

“These are the people who remain faithful to the truth when social principles are challenged by actors with ill intentions toward our country. On behalf of the Commission, composed of eminent professionals from the media and public sphere: Katerina Blazhevska, Dejan Donev, Arta Tahiri, Biljana Georgievska, and Petrit Saracini, and on behalf of the Metamorphosis Foundation, I would like to thank everyone who applied to the competition. Their work upholds citizens’ inalienable right to clear, accurate, and correct information, an indispensable need at a time when misinformation aims to replace reason,” said Zylbeari.

The award is presented to journalists, civil society organizations, and individuals who contribute to combating disinformation in the country, i.e. are dedicated to this extremely important mission. The awards were decided by an independent committee, composed of eminent figures from the media and public spheres.

The second-ranked candidates in both categories, Bobi Badarevski and Martina Lozanoska Najdovska, as well as the Association for the Promotion of Gender Equality Akcija Zdruzhenska Skopje, were awarded special contribution awards. They referred to the chatbots and manual they created that provide young people with direct, fast, and interactive support for recognizing and countering disinformation, which strengthens their digital literacy, critical thinking, and ability to resist manipulation.

“In a country that lacks a comprehensive national strategy to strengthen society’s resilience against rapidly spreading manipulative content, it falls to us in civil society to support one another. We must stand together like an umbrella until we can build a protective roof against disinformation,” said commission member Biljana Gjorgjievska, Executive Director of the Council of Media Ethics of Macedonia.

The award is named after Ilija Zhupanoski, a civil society activist who dedicated a significant part of his life to the fight against disinformation and hybrid threats to democracy.

Zhupanoski dedicated much of his life to understanding the effects of disinformation and foreign influence on democratic processes in North Macedonia. He was a social activist for democracy, a government advisor on digital communications, and a fighter against hybrid and cyber threats to democracies at both national and international levels. Although he left us too soon, his tireless work left an indelible mark on society. His efforts live on through all of us who continue to fight disinformation in defense of the truth, striving to build a society in which freedom of speech is inviolable.