In the beautiful cultural monument Lazareti in Dubrovnik, the 20th annual "Golden Pen" award ceremony was held tonight, which was traditionally organized by the Croatian National Tourist Board, this time with the strong support of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County Tourist Board and the the city of Dubrovnik Tourist Board. It is a well-received award ceremony recognizing foreign editors, journalists, travel bloggers, and influencers who, with their positive and affirmative reporting, significantly contributed to the promotion of Croatian tourism worldwide last year.
Thus, 33 media representatives from 15 countries participated in tonight's ceremony, and 14 VIP media representatives, who have successfully promoted Croatia as a desirable tourist destination on a global level in the last twenty years, gave a special touch to this event.
"I am happy that by awarding the Golden Pen, we have the opportunity to valorise the value of the work of foreign authors who, with their talent, creativity, and knowledge, contribute immeasurably to building a positive image of Croatian tourism on the international tourism scene. The fact is that, despite many challenging circumstances, Croatia has managed to maintain a competitive position among the leading tourist nations, and I am proud to emphasize that we are recognized as a high-quality, attractive, and sustainable destination. Part of this great success is certainly the foreign media representatives who, by reporting on Croatia, have shaped the status of our country as one of the most desirable Mediterranean destinations", said Kristjan Staničić, congratulating all the awarded participants, recalling that over 20 years, with this project, over 500 foreign media representatives received recognition, awards, or the coveted Grand Prix.
Along with director Staničić and colleagues from CNTB representative offices, the award ceremony was also attended by Monika Udovicič from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Jelka Tepšić, Deputy Mayor of Dubrovnik, Ivo Klaić from Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Miroslav Drašković, Director of theCity of Dubrovnik Tourist Board, Julijo Srgota, director of Dubrovnik-Neretva County Tourist Board, as well as numerous guests from the tourism sector.
The Golden Pen's most important recognition is the Grand Prix, which this year was awarded in six categories: for the best radio reportage, the best online media reportage, the best print media reportage, the best travel blog, the best publication on social networks, and the best television reportage.
Journalist Adrian Chiles from Great Britain is this year's Grand Prix winner for the best radio report about Murter. His report focused on cultural heritage, gastronomy, and personal family stories from that island. One of his reports from Murter was broadcast on the popular BBC radio show 'Your Place or Mine with Shaun Keaveny.'
The Grand Prix was won by Hungarian journalists Anna Gall and Eszter Nagy in the category of the best online article. Their text about a trip to Istria, an ideal combination of nature and culture, was published on Index, one of the most-read Hungarian portals, which records almost 5 million views per day.
This year, the Grand Prix for the best print media report was awarded to Finnish journalist Pirjo Houni-Lundberg and Swedish photographer Marica Rosengård for their article "Enchanting beauty of Plitvice Lakes" published in the renowned Finnish Mondo Travel Magazine. The other authors' works mentioned above have already been recognized as highly successful, as evidenced by their recognition. Namely, Pirjo Houni-Lundberg was nominated for Journalist of the Year in Finland in 2016, while Marica Rosengård was named the best photographer of 2019 by the Association of Swedish Photographers.
For the best travel blog, the Grand Prix award goes to the Netherlands this year, and it was received by Marjolein Linstra and Danny van der Meijden, who described the advantages and charms of different regions of Croatia on their platforms, as well as their own experiences gained in many parts of our country.
Sohi Malih and Elisa Malih from Germany also won the Grand Prix award for the best social media post. These are content creators who, by following the Croatian tourist offer, attract the attention of their followers and the media, which often take over their posts about Croatian tourism.
Licia Colo' and Alessandro Antonino from Italy received the Grand Prix for the best television reportage, i.e., for the work on Plitvice Lakes, broadcast on the Italian TV channel LA7, one of the most watched programs in that country. Colo' is one of the most famous Italian journalists whose portfolio is decorated with many awards. She is currently dedicated to the show Eden-Pianeta da salvare, which deals with ecological travelogues.
As part of this year's overall program of the Golden Pen, CNTB and its partners organized a three-day study trip, during which foreign journalists, bloggers, and influencers enjoyed visiting the sights and attractions of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County. Touring the Dubrovnik city walls, visiting the Neretva River, enjoying the view from Srđ, visiting Cavtat, driving the Karaka, and a photo safari in Opuzen are just some of the experiences that representatives of the foreign media will remember from this trip, and we should not forget the folklore ensemble either. At the end Linđo entertained all the guests with their dance performances and the singing of the traditional klapa group during the festive part of the program.
