Symon Petliura Journalism Award names Ukrinform head among 2025 laureates

According to Ukrinform, this was reported on Facebook by Yurii Bondar, co-organizer of the award ceremony.

The award, which honors the contributions of Ukrainian journalist, statesman, military and political leader, organizer of the Ukrainian armed forces, Chief Otaman of the Army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, and Head of the UNR Directorate Symon Petliura to state-building and journalism, was established by the Confederation of Journalistic Organizations of Ukraine, the Symon Petliura Memorial Fund (Chicago, USA), and the Siayvo International Cultural Center.

The award recognizes journalists, publishers, and philanthropists for significant contributions to Ukrainian state-building and defense, high professional excellence, and support for the development of Ukrainian journalism and the state.

Ahead of Petliura’s birthday, the Council of Founders announced the 2025 laureates:

• Slavko Burda (Zagreb, Croatia) – publicist, editor, civic activist, president of the Kobzar Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Society, and organizer of Ukrainian life in Croatia;
• Mykola Kocherha (Chicago, USA) – president of the Symon Petliura Foundation;
• Oleksandr Panchenko (Poltava) – journalist, researcher, scholar, author and compiler of memoirs and collections on prominent figures of the Ukrainian national liberation movement, and private docent at the Ukrainian Free University (Munich, Germany);
• Serhii Cherevatyi – journalist, Director General of the Ukrainian National News Agency Ukrinform, colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
• Yaroslav Yurchyshyn – civic and political activist, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech, and speaker of the Forum of Free Post-Russian States.

The award ceremony will take place on May 31 during the Open Day of the Institute of Journalism at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv as part of the Journalistic Spring event in Kyiv.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, the shortlist for the 2025 Georgiy Gongadze Prize was announced in April. The nominees include Ivan Liubysh-Kirdei, photographer and war correspondent for Reuters; Olha Rudenko, editor-in-chief and co-founder of The Kyiv Independent; and Mykhailo Tkach, head of the investigations department at Ukrainska Pravda.