Skopje, 13 February 2026 (MIA) — The Macedonian Writers Association presented Friday its annual awards for best fiction, best poetry collection, best children's book, best book of essays and best book published in one of the languages ​​of the country's ethnic communities to Olivera Kjorveziroska, Branko Cvetkoski, Hana Korneti, Elizabeta Sheleva and Ahmet Selmani.

Olivera Kjorveziroska won the Stale Popov Best Fiction Award for her novel "Three Marys" (Ars Lamina), which she said was an homage to Slavko Janevski's novel "Two Marys." 

In her speech, Kjorveziroska said she was delighted to receive the prize "even though awards are neither the meaning nor the purpose of our writing, but since they contribute to the visibility of what we do, they are truly important."

Branko Cvetkoski won the Aco Shopov Best Poetry Book Award for his collection "Imaginations: Lyrical Etudes from Another World" (Makavej). 

"I am very proud, glad and happy my colleagues have honored me this year with their opinion that this book of mine should be awarded. It is also a great honor to have my name linked to the name of Shopov," Cvetkoski said.

Hana Korneti won the Vancho Nikoleski Best Children's Book Award for her children's book "Ilina and the Secrets of Baba's Tooth" (Ili-ili), the sequel to her "Ilina and the Forest Trolls."

"These are books that I would have liked to read as a child because they are fun, funny and magical and deal with complex topics: friendship, empathy, parental divorce and loss," Korneti said, urging parents to encourage their children to read more.

Elizabeta Sheleva won the Dimitar Mitrev Critical Essay Collection prize for her "Literary Harmonies and Mirrors" (Sivejan).

Sheleva highlighted that the prize was the only national award for literary criticism and "it is all the more significant because it is associated with the founder of a fierce and temperamental, sometimes exceptional position in literary criticism, Dimitar Mitrev."

Ahmet Selmani won the Bridge Award for best book published in one of the languages ​​of the country's ethnic communities for his poetry collection "Embsuame Paskajore" ("Infinitive Lesson," Akademska misla).

"In my book 'Infinitive Lesson,' I succeeded in turning the infinitive from grammar into a poetic motif, creating a new discourse in the infinitive, talking about all the problems and preoccupations of man in time and space," Selmani said.

In his speech on the MWA's 79th anniversary, its president Zhivko Grozdanoski said the association currently had 171 members. 

He added that the MWA was actively promoting Macedonian literature on its social media pages by sharing excerpts from members' works competing for annual awards. mr/