The winners of the Essay Contest “10 years of Euromaidan: how European values determined the path of Ukraine” announced in Award Ceremony

On 7 March 2024, the EU Delegation to Ukraine hosted the Award Ceremony of the winners of the Essay Contest “10 years of Euromaidan: how European values determined the path of Ukraine”. The awards were delivered by the EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová.

142 works were submitted for the essay contest announced by the EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová to mark the 10th anniversary of the Revolution of Dignity and the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the EU and Ukraine. The authors of the essays are young Ukrainians aged 16 to 25. They shared their thoughts and visions of the development of the events during the 2013-2014 Revolution of Dignity, their impact on Ukraine’s European and their personal future.

Following the preliminary evaluation by the Organising Committee, which made sure the essays met the announced technical criteria of the contest, 88 works were admitted to the contest, and 12 best essays were shortlisted and handed over for review to the jury, which consisted of the following members:

• Katarína Mathernová, EU Ambassador to Ukraine;
• Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine;
• Svitlana Zalishchuk, journalist, politician, public figure, human rights activist;
• Mustafa Nayyem, Head of the State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, politician, public figure, journalist, one of the initiators of the Euromaidan;
• Ostap Stasiv, co-founder and head of the Open University of Maidan NGO, social entrepreneur, public figure;
• Dmytro Shulha, Director of the Europe and the World programme of the International Renaissance Foundation;
• Nataliia Khinotska, expert of the Roadmap for Engagement with the Civil Society in Ukraine II project;
• Roman Tychkivskiy, co-founder of the Open University of Maida and the Ukrainian Leadership Academy;
• Sevgil Musayeva, journalist, editor-in-chief of the Ukrainska Pravda online publication.

On 21 February 2024, the jury completed their reviews of essays and determined the three winners of the Essay Contest “10 years of Euromaidan: how European values determined the path of Ukraine”.

The winners are:

• Shekurie Ramazanova (Bucha),
• Vladyslav Satsiuk (Kyiv),
• Yelyzaveta Khodorovska (Odesa).

On March 7, the EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová awarded the young authors at the EU Delegation to Ukraine.

Congratulating the winners, Katarína Mathernová said: ‘Continuity is an extremely important component of history, the history of humankind, countries, and families. The history of Ukraine has developed in such a way that those who witnessed the Revolution of Dignity as children and teenagers are now defending Ukraine against Russia’s full-scale war, or working and studying to help rebuild the country and develop it towards full-fledged member of the European family. This continuity was also at the core of the participants’ key messages. And it is at the core of our common goal – a free, independent, European, democratic and prosperous Ukraine.’

Olha Stefanishyna, Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration said during awarding ceremony: ‘Today, Ukraine and Ukrainians are fighting for their existence, and for our common future. I am confident that this war will end with the unconditional victory of Ukraine, and I also know what will happen after the victory. This is our European path; this is the European future, and your voices are vitally important in this future. You are the ones who will be rebuilding this country in the European Union. I want to encourage you not to stop at expressing your thoughts, but also act to realize what you’ve written in each of the essays presented today. Thank you all. I urge you to continue to fight, support one another, your families, friends, and stay united and strong. I am very proud of being here during these historical times and seeing your faces, our hope for the future generation that will help rebuild this country, powerful and united as ever before.’

Based on the jury’s decision, all participants of the competition will receive prizes, the authors of 12 shortlisted works will receive awards and the essays of the three winners will be published in a special section of Ukrainska Pravda.

Sevgil Musayeva, journalist, editor-in-chief of the Ukrainska Pravda online publication: ‘It is extremely important for our publication that the younger generation knows about the price of the freedom of their country and what the Ukrainian resistance started from 10 years ago. It is important that they understand European values and the historical choice made in 2014.’

You can learn more about the Essay Contest “10 years of Euromaidan: how European values determined the path of Ukraine” on the website of the EU Delegation to Ukraine and on its social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X.

Media contact:

Tetiana Voronina, Media Expert, ‘Communicating the European Union for Ukrainians’ (CEU4U), an EU-funded project implemented by Ecorys, tvoronina9@gmail.com, +38 067 501 11 83