The Macedonia Loves You Project is a private endeavor to promote the Republic of Macedonia to the world. Started in 2007, the website highlights the beauty, history and culture of the Macedonian people and nation.
In addition to the visual beauty of its pages, Macedonia Loves You sponsors awards and campaigns which draw attention to Macedonia and the people who love her.
Best Promoter Award
The “Best Promoter Award” honors individuals and teams with an outstanding record of achievement promoting the Republic of Macedonia. The contest is organized as a bienniale, with prizes in five categories:
- Arts and Science
- Tourism , Export and Entrepreneurship
- Goodwill Diplomacy
- Lifetime Achievement
- Popular Vote
You can get involved in the conversation and promote your choice on facebook.
Macedonia@20
“Macedonia@20” is a promotional campaign sponsored by Macedonia Loves You to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Macedonian independence. Participants are asked to describe the beauty of Macedonia in twenty words or twenty pictures. The campaign is open to all who wish to share their impressions of the beauty of Macedonia with the world!
Check out the online gallery or find it on facebook.
A Few Words with the Creator of Macedonia Loves You
The creator of the site, Stanislaw Pigon, manages Macedonia Loves You from his home in Poland. We caught up with him online and asked him a few questions about his work:
Makstack: You have worked in over 30 countries. Why did you choose Macedonia as the subject of your site?
SP: The main reason was I wanted to give a surprise gift to my friends. I stayed in Macedonia some nine months and enjoyed hospitality and friendship. I also walked, hiked, drove a car and saw the beauty of the country. So the project was born naturally and it grew the same way. Also, somehow I have the feeling that Macedonia is a “positive energy” place.
Initially the page was meant as a small private page for friends, but the more I thought about it the more ideas came together. I would rather say that Macedonia “choose” me. I love the country and its People and yes, I think the country needs support.
Makstack: What has been the biggest surprise for you since starting the website?
SP: This Project yielded many surprises. Most important was how warmly it was welcomed and that many people offered a lot of kind words and encouragement.
It would be difficult to say what was the biggest surprise. Definitely the nicest and most touching was when, on the third anniversary of the page, my friends Tanja and Aleksandar together with their just over one year old daughter Ana, gave me a specially crafted medal celebrating Three Years of MKLOVESYOU. They designed it. This actually inspired the idea of the Award.
Sometimes surprises spring from little jolly situations related to the page. My cousin lives in Australia and her daughter married a Macedonian also living there. When she visited Poland she told me about the wedding and that both Polish and Macedonians in Australia are quite friendly. She told me that her new family happily showed her a web site about Macedonia run by a man from Poland. She also thought that the web site was great, had a great name, Macedonia Loves You, and told me I had to see it! Apparently she did not click to see who is the author!
Makstack: How long do you intend to pursue your promotional efforts on behalf of Macedonia?
SP: Starting the Page I thought it would last for 2 -3 months and will have lifetime views by some few hundred people. Four years later , on the inaugural day of the third edition, it had almost 1500 hits on a single day and was viewed in 157 countries.
I do not have any terminal date for the project, but obviously the number of events and updates has decreased over time. Last year we focused mainly on the award. We started from scratch and the final ceremony was a tremendous success. You may see it on the Web Page, where we have posted photos and video. Many people came and numerous media covered it!
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