11 October state award 2026: Venko Andonovski, Dimitar Pandev, Gjulumser Kasapi and Vlado Popovski
Venko Andonovski receives the lifetime achievement prize in culture; three academics are awarded for lifetime contribution in science and education.
The Board for awarding the "11 October" state award has named the winners for 2026: writer and university professor Venko Andonovski will receive the lifetime achievement prize in culture and the arts, while the lifetime achievement award in science and education was granted to linguist Prof. Dr. Dimitar Pandev, university professor Gjulumser Kasapi and Prof. Dr. Vlado Popovski.
Decision and significance
The Board made the decision after its deliberations and confirmed the list of laureates for the 2026 edition of the award. The "11 October" is the highest national recognition for lifetime achievement across science, the arts, the economy and other activities of public interest in North Macedonia.
The announcement highlights achievements spanning literature and academic research: Venko Andonovski was singled out for his long career in writing and teaching, while the three scholars were recognized for contributions in linguistics, higher education and historical-political and legal studies respectively.
The awards ceremony will be held on 11 October 2026 at 12:00 in the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, when the laureates will receive their prizes and diplomas.
Members of the cultural and academic communities, as well as representatives of state institutions, are expected to attend the formal handover in the Assembly. The Board’s selection underlines the state’s continuing practice of honoring lifetime contribution in both culture and science.
No further details about the individual citations were published with the announcement.
Photo: press material from the event
