With support from Kormotech and the NGO Internews-Ukraine, the Save Pets of Ukraine initiates the All-Ukrainian contest of journalistic materials, "A Pet-Friendly State"

With the start of the full-scale war, photos and videos of Ukrainians taking pets out of shelling, evacuating, protecting, feeding, and hiding in the shelters were used to impress and move people daily. After the terrorist attack on the Kakhovska HPP, all the following days, footage of saving every life, even the smallest one, became a powerful beam of energy that does not allow us to despair. We want to keep this momentum going. We want the voice of Ukrainian animals suffering from war not to disappear from the radar. On the contrary, in the conditions of ecocide committed by the Russians, it sounded even more powerful in the world and Ukraine. 

Attracting attention to this issue is essential to tell the stories of animals and people who care for four-pawed friends during the war.
 

Terms of the contest:

To publish* material on one of the topics proposed by the organizers in media from June 1 to September 1, 2023.

To complete the registration form and send a link to the published material and a file with it**.

The application deadline is September 1, 2023, inclusive.

According to the subject matter and features of the works that the expert jury will consider, the organizers will choose several winners and award them with monetary awards: grand prix (UAH 40,000), 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places for several participants (UAH 20,000 15,000, 10,000 each), as well as several notable awards of UAH 5,000 each.

The winners will be awarded after September 20, 2023. The time and place of the award ceremony will be announced later.

The general partner of the contest is Kormotech.

The information partner is NGO Internews Ukraine.
 

Topics:

• How pet shelters work and survive in Ukraine in war conditions.

• Four-pawed hostages of war: the impact of full-scale war on Ukraine's ecosphere and animal welfare.

• The terrorist attack on Kakhovska HPP and Russian ecocide in Ukraine.

• Human, animals, environment: the best practices for equal coexistence.

• The infrastructure of animal protection: how does it work in Ukraine? People, chains, solutions.

• I can. I help: how to become pet-friendly and help to improve the situation with animals. A guide for everyone.

• Stories of devotion: saving four-pawed friends (and their people) in Ukraine.

• Animals and corporate social responsibility: animal protection initiatives of Ukrainian business.
   

Kormotech has long and systematically taken care of projects to improve the welfare of Ukrainian cats and dogs. Over 20 years of work, the team has implemented 14+ social projects to help pets: "The Little Prince'' humane education course for school children, "Take a Dog to The Work" annual All-Ukrainian action, Optimeal Expert training school for veterinarians, Optimeal Expert 9100 hotline and online service of free veterinary care, the Look 4 Paws adoption platform, the Save Pets of Ukraine - the global chain of aid to Ukrainian pets affected by the war, which was preceded by the project "Don't leave us in ATO" from 2014.

Kormotech's social mission is to change the attitude towards pets in Ukraine and throughout Eastern Europe: to encourage people to treat four-pawed friends not as property but as full-fledged companions and family members.

"We are developing a culture of responsible care and quality coexistence with animals. We start with ourselves — our office in Lviv was the first in Ukraine to encourage employees to bring dogs to work so that four-legged friends could spend more time with their people. 85% of our colleagues are pet parents — they have a cat, dog, or both.

Kormotech works a lot in this direction socially — from helping in war, rescuing and feeding, and building such a culture and infrastructure where animal homelessness is impossible as a phenomenon. The company provides pet food, administration, promotion, and expense coverage for these projects. But the main thing is that we took on the mission of being the voice of Ukrainian animals in the war and not letting this voice disappear from the radar. Humanity is always on time, and Ukrainians have proven that we are the most humane nation in the world. This contest is one more opportunity to help Ukrainian animals to be heard, so we did not hesitate to support this contest," says Kateryna Kovalyuk, CRO&ECG at Kormotech.

To prepare the materials, participants can use the selection of valuable resources collected by the Kormotech and Save Pets of Ukraine teams. You can familiarize yourself with the fabrics by downloading the media kit of the contest.

Also, the organizers are ready to provide comprehensive consulting support regarding the selection and elaboration of the topic.

The contest is taking place for the first time, but the organizers plan to continue.

Contacts of the organizers: Anastasia Stolyar, Kormotech external communications manager, +38(096)4184102, [email protected]. 

Save Pets of Ukraine — an all-Ukrainian initiative for comprehensive assistance to four-pawed pets during the war. Founded by the Ukrainian manufacturer of food for cats and dogs, Kormotech. The industry is implemented in partnership with the NGO "Element of Life," as well as the charity fund U-Hearts, a partner in attracting help from the global community. Save Pets of Ukraine has united dozens of non-profit and business organizations and private donors in the USA, England, Europe, and Ukraine. At the moment, the initiative provides food for shelters and animal volunteers, medical drugs for veterinarians, and implements comprehensive support for shelters for cats and dogs. 

Kormotech — is a global family company with Ukrainian roots that has produced high-quality food for cats and dogs under the Optimeal, CLUB 4 PAWS, Hav!, Meow! Brands since 2003. The company has production facilities in Ukraine and in the EU. The assortment includes more than 650 items. Kormotech, a leader in Ukraine, is included in the TOP-60 global pet food producers and the TOP-20 most dynamic pet food brands. Kormotech sells products of its brands and partners' brands in 40 countries.
 

NGO “Internews-Ukraine” — NGO "Internews-Ukraine" — is one of the largest NGOs in Ukraine, working in strategic communications, media development, and information security since 1996. Its partners include USAID, the EU Representation in Ukraine, UNICEF, the International Foundation "The Renaissance," the Council of Europe, embassies of EU member states, and the British Council.
 

*Materials published in the columns of print media or on official websites of online media, broadcast on TV and radio, are accepted for participation. Contest posts may be duplicated in the media's official social media accounts or YouTube channels, but positions made ONLY on social media will not be accepted for the contest.
 

**The participant enters personal data in the relevant sections of the online questionnaire for registration, adds a link to the material, or attaches a file there. It doesn't take to send materials by mail or to an e-mail address.