When the WeBalkans photo contest reached its last stop in Ljubljana on 6 September, two things were crystal clear: the winning images were powerful, and the Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) had been the connective thread running through the entire journey.
From the very first call for applications back in April in Pristina, YEAs rolled up their sleeves to spread the word across campuses, youth hubs, and online communities. They helped kick off local launch events, kept momentum through the voting phase in August, and showed up in person at exhibitions across the Western Balkans. Their energy didn’t just amplify a campaign; it helped turn a regional initiative into a shared story about Europe, told through the lens of youth and sport.
Launched in April 2025, “Ready. Steady. Our Europe!” invited young photographers and sports enthusiasts (18–29) to capture perseverance, EU enlargement, unity, peacebuilding, and cultural cooperation. Out of 183 submissions, a professional jury selected the 18 best works, which then toured as a traveling exhibition to Belgrade, Podgorica, Skopje, Struga, Maglaj, Pristina, and Tirana. In August, citizens across the region had their say on WeBalkans social channels, choosing six final winners:
Albania: Klevisa Kapo – Lifted by Support, Carried by Dreams
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Haris Pervan – Grassroots Football
Kosovo: Fillojetë Maloku – Sport is not just competition
Montenegro: Nataša Đurović – Lines of the freedom
North Macedonia: Ilina Pulejkova – Sport connects, includes and loves
Serbia: Jasmina Pavlović – Together – we can do anything
The finale brought the story into the EU: Ljubljana, host city of the Ljubljana Sports Festival, welcomed the exhibition as part of the official programme from 3 September, culminating in an award ceremony on 6 September at Tivoli Iliria Pool, with a video message to winners by Marta Kos, Commissioner for Enlargement.
In the lead-up to the finale, YEAs fronted a short announcement video inviting Ljubljana residents and visitors to come see the exhibition and meet the artists. The campaign featured Teodora Danilović, Aja Gashi, Sara Çeshko, Megi Marku, Kristian Petro, Aleksandar Petrovic, Ramanda Shehu, Antonio Grujevski, and Katarina Marinkovic, a cross-border mix that embodies what this campaign stands for. Their message was simple and effective: this isn’t just an exhibition; it’s your Europe- come be part of it.
On the day of the ceremony, Ramanda Shehu and Uroš Šeštović represented the network on the ground in Ljubljana. They connected with the finalists, spoke with festivalgoers about the meaning behind the images, and shared the spirit of “unity through sport” with visitors who were discovering the Western Balkans through photography, many for the first time. Their presence, like that of so many YEAs across the tour, turned spectators into participants.
By wrapping up in Slovenia, WeBalkans highlighted how stories from the Western Balkans belong at the heart of Europe’s cultural and civic life. The finale didn’t just honor six photographs; it showcased a way of working: cross-border, youth-led, and values-first, where creative collaboration turns big ideas like unity and enlargement into something you can actually see and feel.
To everyone who followed the tour, voted, or stopped by the exhibition in Ljubljana: thank you. And to the Young European Ambassadors who guided this campaign from first post to final applause: well played.
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