ANDRIJA JOVOVIĆ – 2026

(born in Cetinje in 1998) completed his primary and secondary music education in Podgorica with Lidija Skender. He graduated from the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna in the class of Nataša Veljković, where he is currently pursuing master’s programmes in New Music Ensemble and Piano Pedagogy. He has attended numerous masterclasses and seminars with distinguished pianists and teachers, including Dmitry Bashkirov, Ruben Dalibaltayan, Boris Kraljević, Akiko Ebi, Horst Leichtfried, Aleksandar Serdar and Yuri Kot. He was a scholarship recipient at the International Music Academy in Liechtenstein in 2020, and in 2023 he continued his professional development at the Coimbra World Piano Meeting in Portugal. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed in the United States, France, Belgium, Croatia, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Serbia, Italy and Austria, as well as throughout Montenegro. He has won numerous first and special prizes at national competitions, along with first prizes at international competitions in Italy, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina. His recent distinctions include two second prizes: one at the Jurica Murai Grand Prix in Varaždin in 2022 and another at the Radovljica Piano Competition in Slovenia in 2021.

DUŠAN MEDIN AND SRĐA MARTINOVIĆ – 2026

Dušan Medin, an archaeologist, cultural manager, cultural heritage researcher and lecturer at the University of Donja Gorica, and Srđa Martinović, a professor at the University of Montenegro whose research focuses on international relations, diplomatic history and the Montenegrin diaspora, jointly implement the project Montenegro Across the Atlantic. Exploring historical and contemporary ties between Montenegro and the United States, the project comprises academic lectures and professional meetings on cultural heritage, international cultural cooperation, historical migration and links between Montenegrin and American cultural and research communities, as well as field research on the Montenegrin cultural and artistic diaspora. Conducted in cities and states where the community has historically been present, the research includes visits to archives, museums, cemeteries and cultural centres, interviews with emigrants and their descendants, and the collection of archival, library and memorial materials. Planned outcomes include a preliminary database, documentation of cultural professionals and organisations, mapping of Montenegrin heritage in the United States, public presentations and publication of the findings.

VITLOK D.O.O. – 2026

was established in Podgorica in 2018 and operates in the field of music production. Its activities include audio production and post-production, arranging, studio musician services, as well as piano tuning and repair. The company has collaborated with numerous festivals and cultural organisations in Montenegro and abroad, as well as with renowned international artists. Young Montenegrin Composers is a multi-phase project dedicated to contemporary Montenegrin music and composers of the younger generation. Its first phase comprises five composer-focused concerts, held at the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts (MASA), featuring solo and chamber works by Milivoje Pićurić, Aleksandar Perunović, Slobodanka Bobana Dabović Đurić, Marko Kovač and Nina Perović. Vitlok is responsible for the audio and video recording of the concerts, followed by the production and post-production of the recorded material. The subsequent phases include video podcast interviews with the composers and the promotion and distribution of the content through digital platforms and media channels. The project marks the 20th anniversary of the restoration of Montenegro’s independence and the 55th anniversary of the founding of MASA. It is implemented through a partnership between MASA, the Miloš Karadaglić Foundation, Vitlok d.o.o. and the Organisation for the Protection of Music Authors’ Rights of Montenegro.

Simo Šišević 2024/2025

(born in Podgorica in 1999) graduated from the Vasa Pavić Art School of Music and Ballet under Anka Asanović and earned his undergraduate degree from the Royal College of Music, studying with Gordon Fergus-Thompson and John Byrne. He is currently pursuing postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music under Tatiana Sarkissova while also studying with Boris Berman at Academia del Ridotto in Italy. As a soloist, Šišević has performed with the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra and the KotorArt Festival Orchestra. He has given recitals at festivals such as KotorArt, Budva City Theatre, Bar Chronicle, Days of Music Herceg Novi, and Skopje Summer, as well as at venues including Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, Europe House, Duke's Hall, St James's Church Piccadilly, St Mary's Perivale Church, the Austrian Cultural Forum, and the Museum of Macedonian Struggle, among others. In 2016, he represented Montenegro at the concert Monténégro au cœur de l’Europe as part of the Weekend de Clavier Contemporain festival at the Frédéric Chopin Conservatoire in Paris. His competition successes include 3rd prize at the Carles & Sofia Competition (Spain, 2021), 2^nd prize at the Orbetello Piano Competition (Italy, 2021), 1^st prize at the Tivat International Piano Competition (Montenegro, 2016), Special Prize at the Windsor International Piano Competition (UK, 2015), Absolute Prize at the Academy Award International Competition (Rome, 2013).