Fourth National “Spivprostir” Journalism Contest Launches in Ukraine with a Total Prize Fund of UAH 100,000

“Spivprostir” brings journalists together around topics that help foster a culture of responsible and humane treatment of animals. The competition was created to support high-quality journalism about the lives of people and animals, animal welfare, responsible pet parenting, and societal changes.

The competition is organized by the U-Hearts animal welfare platform (NGO U-Hearts Ukraine) and Kormotech, Ukraine’s largest manufacturer of cat and dog food. This year’s media partners are NGO Internews Ukraine, Donbas Media Forum, and the Institute of Mass Information.

Over the past few years, “Spivprostir” has become a platform for journalistic stories that not only raise animal welfare issues but also highlight solutions, personal stories, and practices that can change how society approaches responsibility toward animals.

For Kormotech, supporting the competition is part of its long-term efforts to develop a culture of responsible attitudes toward cats and dogs. For more than two decades, the company has implemented social and educational animal welfare initiatives, ranging from support for shelters and adoption to veterinary education and support services for pet parents.

“When we launched the competition, our goal was to encourage greater interest among media outlets and authors in animal-related topics. Now that the competition has been running for four years, we have the opportunity to encourage media outlets and journalists to focus on a different level of quality: to write about animals as subjects in their own right, use appropriate language, promote the right perspective, and highlight practical solutions. Alongside supporting the profession, we are also supporting higher standards for professional discussion about animals. As co-founders of the competition, we are proud of this evolution. I believe that this year we will see even more new authors and high-quality stories that resonate with audiences,” said Alina Smyshliak-Boroda, Chief Reputation Officer at Kormotech.

This year, media expert and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of LB.ua Otar Dovzhenko has joined the jury.

“If you follow how the media cover these topics for long enough, you begin to notice several common and fairly simple patterns that journalists rarely move beyond. The first is cultivating a sense of guilt among readers: humanity is chronically guilty before nature, and you can personally atone for part of that guilt if you… followed by some useful advice. The second pattern is imposing an exaggerated sense of responsibility on people who have animals, similar to the message: ‘You’re not a good enough mother or father unless you do this…’, followed again by useful advice.

Perhaps this happens unintentionally. But if I’m being fair, I have often followed these same patterns myself when writing about animals or the environment. Yet in real life, our relationships with both nature and animals — I have four myself — are more multidimensional and complex. For me, this competition is a chance to see whether journalism can work differently and find other approaches and perspectives that allow people to understand their relationship with nature and other biological species without viewing it through the lens of guilt or anxiety,” said Otar Dovzhenko.

The Institute of Mass Information has also joined the competition. It is one of Ukraine’s key organizations working to advance professional and responsible journalism. Donbas Media Forum, a platform that brings together journalists and media managers around issues important to both the profession and society, has also joined the initiative.

Terms and Conditions of the “Spivprostir” Competition

Eligible entries include materials published in print media or on the official websites of online media outlets, as well as television and radio content broadcast between September 2, 2026, and December 2, 2026, inclusive.

Competition entries may also be reposted on the official social media accounts or YouTube channels of media outlets. However, materials published exclusively on social media are not eligible for the competition.

A mandatory requirement is to include the following statement at the beginning or end of the material:

This material was created as part of participation in the “Spivprostir” competition, with support from the NGO U-Hearts Ukraine and Kormotech.

Materials submitted without this statement will not be accepted for the competition.

Participants must complete the registration form and submit a link to the published material and/or upload the relevant file.

The deadline for applications is December 2, 2026, inclusive.

Based on the topics and format of the submitted works, the organizers will select winners who will receive cash prizes:

• Grand Prix - UAH 30,000
• First Prize - UAH 25,000
• Second Prize - UAH 20,000
• Third Prize - UAH 15,000
• Special Award - UAH 10,000

The award ceremony will take place in December 2026. The organizers will announce the final date, time, and venue of the ceremony at a later stage.

Suggested Topics for Competition Entries

1. How the war has changed Ukrainians’ attitudes toward pets

How has the role of animals in Ukrainian families changed? How has the culture of responsible pet parenting evolved? How willing are people to adapt their daily routines and infrastructure to the needs of animals?

2. From compassion to responsibility

Have attitudes toward vaccination, sterilization, animal identification, adoption, and the rejection of uncontrolled breeding changed?

3. Animals in crisis situations

How prepared are Ukrainians today to consider animals' needs during relocation, loss of housing, military mobilization, or prolonged power outages?

4. Leaving no one behind: stories of people who evacuated with their animals

Personal stories of choice, responsibility, and survival together. How did animals influence decisions about evacuation, relocation, and returning home?

5. Animals in de-occupied territories: life after occupation

What happens to pets and stray animals after territories are liberated? The return of pet parents, evacuation, veterinary care, restoration of animal populations, and rebuilding of infrastructure.

6. Wildlife during the war

The impact of hostilities, landmines, fires, destruction of natural areas, and ecosystem changes on wildlife. Which species are disappearing, which are adapting, and which are returning to areas where they had previously become rare?

7. A pet-friendly Ukraine: are our cities ready to live alongside animals?

Do Ukrainian cities take the needs of people with animals into account? Public transport, shelters, rental housing, businesses, workplaces, and public spaces. How is the urban environment changing, and is Ukraine becoming more animal-friendly?

Competition Organizers

• NGO U-Hearts Ukraine
  USROEOOU code: 45387375
  Registered address: 4a M. Lukasha St., Apt. 4, Lviv, Lviv Region, 79026, Ukraine
• Kormotech LLC
  USROEOOU code: 32673400
  Registered address: Prylbichi village, Yavoriv District, Lviv Region, 81062, Ukraine

Competition Media Partners:

• NGO Internews Ukraine

USROEOOU code: 23731143
Registered address: 15 Ryzka St., Kyiv, 04112, Ukraine

• Donbas Media Forum

Sole proprietor
Liubov Viktorivna Rakovytsia
Address: 5/41 Panasa Myrnoho St., Kyiv, 01021, Ukraine
Taxpayer Registration Number: 3033404341

• NGO Institute of Mass Information

USROEOOU code: 24075824
25 Beresteiskyi Ave., Apt. 99, Kyiv, 01056, Ukraine

Organizer Contacts

Valeriia Volyk
Communications Manager, U-Hearts
📞 +38 (063) 98 592 87
📧 [email protected]

Orysia Khomiak
Head of External Communications, Kormotech
📞 +38 (093) 11 99 435
📧 [email protected]

To avoid conflicts of interest, employees of the Organizers, Media Partners, Partners, and Sponsors, as well as representatives of organizations whose members serve on the jury, are not eligible to participate in the competition, even if they also work as freelance journalists or hold staff journalism positions concurrently.

Participants must enter their personal information in the relevant sections of the online registration form and add a link to their material or upload the file there. There is no need to send competition materials by post or email.