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Women in Energy Photo Contest

The Energy Community Secretariat, in cooperation with GIZ, launched the first edition of the Women in Energy Photo Contest to increase the visibility and recognition of women across the energy sector in Southeast and Eastern Europe. The Initiative invited women to share photographs of themselves in their real working environments, showcasing their diverse roles, expertise and contributions while challenging gender stereotypes and inspiring future generations.

The contest received 55 applications from across the region, with Ilda Dautović (Montenegro), Sara Suli (Albania) and Irina Fusaru (Moldova) selected as the three main winners. An additional 13 photographs were selected for the exhibition, celebrating women working across the Energy Community region. The exhibition will be showcased at the Just Transition Forum 2026, the International Gender Champions Meeting in November 2026, and other events.

The Initiative responds to the need for more visible role models that challenge gender stereotypes and inspire future generations. Through the photo contest, the initiative seeks to foster dialogue on the institutional, educational, and workplace changes needed to enable more women to enter, remain, and advance in the energy sector.

 

USEFUL LINKS


2026 Energy Community Women Photo Contest Exhibition

The Anatomy of a Grid  

Winner of the first prize

Name Profession
 Ilda Dautović  Chief Transmission Line Maintenance Engineer

 

Patience has its frequency  

Winner of the second prize

Name Profession
 Sara Suli  SCADA/EMS Specialist

 

What Keeps Energy Moving  

Winner of the third prize

Name Profession
 Irina Fusaru  Operational Coordination Manager

 

Still an Engineer  

Featured Photographer

Name Profession
 Irina Apostol and her son Ștefan  Energy Auditor, Green City Lab Moldova

 

Seeing the Consumer  

Featured Photographer

Name Profession
 Mariia Tyshchenko  Advisor to NEURC; Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister 

 

Assembly of Equipment  

Featured Photographer

Name Profession
 Milena Anđelić  Transmission Line Maintenance Engineer

 

The Only Female Dispatcher  

Featured Photographer

Name Profession
 Monika Laboska  Power System Operator

 

Women Powering Today, Inspiring Tomorrow  

Featured Photographer

Name Profession
 Shemsije Lahu  Head of Training Center, KEDS J.S.C.

 

My Second Home  

Featured Photographer

Name Profession
 Svitlana Yanik  Senior Dispatcher

 

Mapping a Village’s Energy Future; The Community Behind the Transition  

Featured Photographer

Name Profession
 Tanja Obradović  Urban Planner and Community Energy Initiator

 

At the Crossroads of Change  

Featured Photographer

Name Profession
 Olena Kasianchuk  Head of the Lytovezh Territorial Community

 

Every Measurement Matters  

Featured Photographer

Name Profession
 Milica Sošić  High Voltage Equipment Testing Engineer

 

The Women Behind Bosnia’s First Energy Community  

Featured Photographer

Name Profession
 Ajla Čišija  Senior Expert Associate for Development Planning and Local Development Management

 

At the Heart of Hydropower  

Featured Photographer

Name Profession
 Irina Kometiani  Head of Strategic Development and Communications

 

Solar System Installation  

Featured Photographer

Name Profession
 Natalija Zindović  Director and Head of the Electrical Sector

 

Engineering Work  

Featured Photographer

Name Profession
 Donika Bajrami Mustafa  Electrical Power Engineer

 

 

 

    Photo Contest Cornerstones

  • The Prize

    The Prize and Visibility Opportunities

    The selected winners will receive international visibility through the exhibition of their photographs at the Just Transition Forum on 20 October in Podgorica, attended by up to 120 participants from the energy sector, with the potential of the exhibition to be invited and displayed at other regional and international events.

    The first three winners will benefit from dedicated communication and outreach through the Energy Community and GIZ networks, including a featured interview with Balkan Green Energy News, and promotion through institutional communication channels.

    The first three prize winners will have the opportunity to choose between:

    • reimbursement of travel and accommodation costs to attend the Just Transition Forum (up to EUR 500), providing a platform to present their story and connect with key energy transition stakeholders; or
    • reimbursement of up to EUR 500 for participation in an energy-related capacity-building training course of their choice, supporting their continued professional growth and expertise.

     

  • Selection process

    Selection process

    Timeline:

    • Application open: 21 September (including)
    • Winner announcement: 30 September
    • Launch of the Exhibition at the Just Transition Forum in Podgorica, Montenegro: 20 (and 21) October 2026

     

    Selection Criteria:

    • Authenticity — Does the photo capture a real woman in a real energy-sector working environment?
    • Storytelling power — Does the image tell a compelling story about women’s roles in energy?
    • Visibility — Does it challenge stereotypes about who works in the energy sector?
    • Representation of diverse and underrepresented perspectives — Does the submission increase the visibility of women working in less visible roles, occupations, workplaces, regions, or career pathways across the energy sector?
    • Visual quality — Is the photo strong, clear and suitable for exhibition?
    • Relevance to the energy transition — Does it connect to clean energy, security of supply, just transition, innovation, energy efficiency or climate action?
  • APPLICATION STEPS

    Who can apply?

    The contest is open to women working in the energy sector in the Energy Community region, including technical, operational, field-based, engineering, regulatory, policy, research, and management roles.

    Applicants must be working in and have their long-term residence in one of the Energy Community Contracting Parties: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo*, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, or Ukraine.

    The applicant must be a woman working in the energy sector whose own story, experience, or professional journey is represented in the photograph. The applicant may act as both the person featured in the image and the photographer. Photographers or other individuals who are not women working in the energy sector are not eligible to apply.

    How to apply?

    Applicants must submit up to two photographs featuring themselves. The photograph(s) may also include one or more female colleagues or a mixed team in a real energy-sector working environment. Each photograph can only be submitted by the main applicant depicted in the image. The photograph(s) should reflect a real working environment and may include the surroundings, tools, tasks or context that help tell the story.

    • Submissions may feature:
      • one woman;
      • a group of women or a mixed team, if the main woman applicant is central to the image;
      • the woman (or group) can be at different career stages.
    • Send you photograph(s) and the application form by email.
    • Deadline: 21 September 2026 (inclusive)
    Application Form

    Technical Aspects

    Photos must be submitted in:

    • JPEG or PNG format;
    • minimum resolution: ideally 3000 px on the longest side, or at least 2 MB file size;
    • landscape, portrait and square formats accepted;
    • colour or black-and-white accepted;
    • basic editing allowed, such as cropping, exposure and contrast correction;
    • heavy manipulation, filters, composites, AI-generated content or added/removed elements not allowed;
    • photos should be suitable for printing in A3 or A2 format.

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