Born in '89

We invited people born in 1989 to submit essays about their experiences of growing up in EBRD countries of operations in the years after the Iron Curtain fell. Some 600 essays from throughout the EBRD region were submitted. 

The winners

The best six entrants from Eastern Europe attended an event at the EBRD's London headquarters on 6 September and the top prize was awarded to Ana Dabrundashvili from Tbilisi, Georgia. Ms Dabrundashvili won a one-week internship at the Financial Times and a cash prize from UniCredit. Ana wrote a post for the FT blog about her experience.

The other finalists were Nikita Bolgov (Rostov, Russia), Ulyana Yasna (Zapitiv, Ukraine), Irina Fedorenko (Vladivostok, Russia), Sonja Kasipovic (Rijeka, Croatia) and Daria Orlova (Izhevsk, Russia), all of whom won runner-up cash prizes from UniCredit.

To celebrate the achievements of the young writers from Eastern Europe the EBRD is launching a special publication showcasing the 24 best essays, which were selected by an international jury chaired by acclaimed Ukrainian novelist Andrei Kurkov.

Earlier in 2010, a preliminary Born in '89 panel discussion was held during the EBRD's 2010 Annual Meeting in Zagreb, Croatia, attended by several competition entrants from the Balkan region.

Reaction to the competition

On behalf of the jury, Mr Kurkov said: “We were deeply impressed by the quality of entries received. This made our work much harder but at the same time immensely pleasurable. Among the young writers I think we have discovered a number of real talents who show great promise.”

There was particularly strong interest in the competition among young people in Ukraine and Russia, with about 130 entries received from each country. Participation was not confined to capital cities and notable contributions came from smaller cities like Izhevsk and Togliatti in Russia, or the town of Zapitiv in Western Ukraine.

Reflecting on the strong response, EBRD President Thomas Mirow said: “I would like to thank the participants, our partners and our judges for the hard work and tremendous effort that has gone into this competition. It has provided us with a unique opportunity to hear the voices of a new generation – something which has given us fascinating perspectives on the value and purpose of our own work in this region.”

Antonella Massari, UniCredit Head of Group Identity & Communications, said: “The strong participation in the competition has provided us with unique insights how the younger generation in formerly communist countries see the events of 1989 and the world today. As a Group deeply rooted in the region and close to its people, UniCredit is proud to have contributed to an initiative that gives voice to their thoughts and feelings and which also fosters the development of young talent.”

The international jury chaired by Andrei Kurkov also included Slađana Bukovac (journalist and writer, Zagreb), Kevin Klose (Dean of Journalism, University of Maryland), Quentin Peel (Financial Times), Nenad Popović, (founder and editor, Durieux Publishers, Zagreb), Velislav Radev (BBC World Service) and Danuta Walewska (Rzeczpospolita).

More information
View images of the awards ceremony (external link: Flickr)
Press release
Born in '89 publication