Veran Matić is the recipient of the UNS Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Journalist, analyst, and publicist Branislav Gulan, along with journalist and President of the Board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) Veran Matić, are this year's recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS).
The award for the best annual editorial concept "Dimitrije Davidović" was awarded to the editor of the Aktuelnosti editorial team at Radio-Television of Serbia (RTS), Jelena Božović.
The Special Award for Contribution to the History of Journalism and Publicistic Works "Žika M. Jovanović" was received by journalist Bojan Cvejić for the publication "Codes of Journalists of Serbia from 1965 to 2025," while the Golden Charter of the UNS was awarded to former president of the Executive Board of the UNS, Slobodan Radičević.
B92 journalist Velimir Perović is the recipient of the "Laza Kostić" award in the "News and Report" category, while this award in the reportage category was given to journalist Jelena S. Spasić from Kurir for a series of reports on Prebilovci.
The award for caricature went to journalist Vladislav Filipović from the Kosovo Online portal for the caricature “Map.”
The award for photography, which this year bears the name "Jaroslav Pap," was given to Nenad Mihajlović for a photograph marking the anniversary of the collapse of the canopy in Novi Sad, published in the online edition of The Guardian.
This year, the “Bogdan Tirnanić” award for commentary or column was not awarded.
The jury stated in its justification that, "although the submitted proposals were of high quality, none of them carried the weight deserving of the name of a journalist like Bogdan Tirnanić.”
The jury awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award to Branislav Gulan and Veran Matić.
“Branislav Gulan has left a deep and significant mark on Serbian journalism, primarily in the fields of economics and agriculture. He made a substantial contribution to the affirmation and development of villages and Serbian peasants. As an author and co-author of numerous expert and scientific papers, Gulan’s contribution exceeds journalistic achievements. His rich career has been recognized by numerous awards that testify to his dedication, professionalism, and perseverance,” the jury stated in its award justification.
From his journalistic, editorial, and production days, the jury explained, Veran Matić has remained on the front "lines" of the profession for decades.
“Having himself faced persecution, arrest, and surveillance, he focused his efforts on the safety of journalists and the fight to investigate the murders of colleagues and to prosecute and punish the perpetrators. Not undermining his complete opus in journalistic and philanthropic work, in recent years Veran Matić has tirelessly supported every journalist under threat, whose work is hindered or whose safety is endangered, which is why many colleagues rely on his support. His role today, in a crisis of freedom and escalating violence against journalists, is immeasurable,” the jury noted.
For the best annual editorial concept, the "Dimitrije Davidović" award was given to the editor of the Aktuelnosti editorial team at Radio-Television of Serbia (RTS), Jelena Božović.
“From her reporting days in her hometown of Užice to her editorial position in the Aktuelnosti editorial team at RTS, Jelena Božović has adhered to professional principles. Along this path, she has also remained an author of numerous shows, as well as an editor of important documentary series that have opened topics about the lives of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, about great figures in Serbian history, and many others,” the jury's justification states.
As added, “Jelena Božović as the editor of Aktuelnosti has contributed to the launch of new series, which, alongside ‘Kvadratura kruga,’ have millions of viewers, confirming that her editorial concept stands out and gains the audience's great trust.”
The Special Award for contributions to the history of printing and journalism, theoretical works on journalism, and publicistic works "Žika M. Jovanović," by the jury's decision, was awarded to Bojan Cvejić for the publication "Codes of Journalists of Serbia from 1965 to 2025."
“At a time when ethics in Serbian journalism has been marginalized, the systematic and persistent efforts of Bojan Cvejić in collecting and publishing the history of journalistic codes from six decades ago to today are very important. This is a unique publication, significant for the entire media community, but also for researchers, theorists, and future journalists, and as such, it has a broad societal contribution to the history of journalism and media ethics, and we hope for its future,” the jury explained.
The Golden Charter of the UNS was awarded this year to Slobodan Radičević.
“Over three decades in the Association of Journalists of Serbia, Slobodan Radičević has made a significant contribution to the development of this journalistic organization, especially standing out in the fight for the rights of local media, from where he himself comes, as well as in the area of journalist safety through legal regulations, working groups, and public appearances,” the justification states.
The jury added that Radičević also played a significant role in improving the project co-financing process, as a source of life and survival for many media outlets in local communities.
“As the president of the Executive Board, he further confirmed his commitment to colleagues, the profession, and the association,” the justification states.
The jury members who decided on the awards were Olivera Milošević (chair), Zoran Marković, Gordana Eror, Nemanja Milošević, and Sonja Ivković.
The "Laza Kostić" award in the "News and Report" category was awarded by the jury to B92 journalist Velimir Perović for the exclusive information "Colonel Spasoje Vulević: I was dismissed on Friday because the SAJ is not under Vučić's absolute control.”
As the jury explained, Perović managed to obtain a statement from the then-commander of the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Spasoje Vulević, at the moment he was dismissed from that position, and was the first to publish it.
“Perović skillfully recognized the moment to call Vulević before other media and succeeded in what other media could not - to create a complete, comprehensive, and very relevant piece of information. This information was broadcast even by media outlets that do not use the Beta agency’s services due to its national significance,” the jury stated in its justification.
The “Laza Kostić” award in the "Reportage" category was awarded to journalist Jelena S. Spasić from Kurir for a series of reports from the village of Prebilovci, which experienced a severe tragedy during World War II.
“Through the testimonies of survivors and descendants of the victims, the author illuminates personal stories of loss, while simultaneously reminding us of kindness and humanity that transcend faith, nation, or ideology. Particularly significant is that one of the texts includes the first statement given by the descendants of teacher Stana Arnaut, providing a unique insight into personal stories and memories that have not been documented until now,” the jury noted.
The “Laza Kostić” award for caricature was awarded to journalist Vladislav Filipović from the Kosovo Online portal for the caricature “Map,” which depicts a man attempting to find his grandfather's grave, destroyed by Kosovo vandals, using an improvised “pirate map.”
“The caricature illustrates the need for a family grave that has turned into an absurd adventure, akin to a treasure hunt. In this way, irony and sorrow are combined in a single depiction,” explained the jury that decided on the award.
The award for photography "Jaroslav Pap" was awarded to Nenad Mihajlović, who, the jury noted, was recognized for his entire annual body of work, with a special focus on the photograph marking the anniversary of the collapse of the canopy in Novi Sad.
The photograph was published in the online edition of The Guardian.
“Nenad Mihajlović is an experienced photojournalist with many years of experience in numerous Serbian media – such as Blic, Nova S, Radar, Tanjug, and AFP. His work encompasses coverage of significant political, social, cultural, and sports events in Serbia. Through his contributions to the media scene, he embodies what Jaroslav Pap did,” the jury stated.
The decisions regarding the award recipients were made by Predrag Rava (chair), Milan Vlajić, Petar Živković, Dejan Nikolić, and Dubravka Nikolić.
The awards will be presented on the Day of the UNS, on Sunday, December 21 at 12 o'clock at the Press Center of the UNS (Knez Mihailova 6/III), in Belgrade.
On that occasion, the UNS award for courage in journalistic expression “Aleksandar Tijanić” will also be awarded to the economy editor at the weekly “Radar,” Milan Ćulibrk.
