The Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) presented its annual awards today, recognizing outstanding journalists and media professionals.

The awards celebrate courage, perseverance, and professionalism in Macedonian journalism, honoring those who expose corruption and give voice to the unheard. This year saw a record number of submissions, highlighting the vibrancy and resilience of journalism in Macedonia.

Zvezdan Gjorgjievski received the “Krste Petkov Misirkov” lifetime achievement award for his lasting impact on Macedonian journalism. The Investigative Reporting Laboratory (IRL) won the “Jashar Erebara” award for investigative journalism for their story on a postal worker protecting power plants. Fisnik Dželili from Portalb.mk was awarded for best reporting on local and regional topics for a story on student violence in Tetovo. Ivan Popović received the award for best cinematography project of public interest for his work on climate migrations in Prespa.

Acknowledgments were also given to KOD from TV Telma, Aleksandar Dimitrievski and Mikhail Miloshevski, and Trajče Antonovski from IRL for their contributions to investigative journalism and cinematography.

AJM President Mladen Chadikovski emphasized the challenges journalists face and the importance of solidarity within the profession. Anthony Bellanger, Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), congratulated the winners and all participants. German Filkov, representing the Awards Commission, noted the difficulty of the selection process due to the high quality of submissions, highlighting the unanimous agreement of the commission on the winners.