The Department of Family, Youth, and Mass Events for National-Patriotic Education of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, in cooperation with the “Slavic Heart” Charitable Foundation, announces the launch of the annual regional contest “Woman of Donetsk Region – 2026.”
The purpose of the contest is to recognize and support the most active women for their significant contributions to the social and cultural life of society, to encourage positive changes in the field of gender equality, and to promote the implementation of state policy aimed at ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men.
The contest is designed to draw attention to the stories of women in Donetsk Oblast who, through their activities, professionalism, initiative, and personal example, make a significant contribution to the region’s development, support its residents, defend Ukraine, strengthen social unity, and overcome the challenges caused by the war.
Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and older are invited to participate in the contest. They must make a significant personal contribution through their work and professional skills to the development of the Donetsk region, have a declared/registered place of residence (stay) in the Donetsk region, and carry out their activities both within the region and in other regions of Ukraine.
In accordance with the Regulations on the “Woman of Donetsk Oblast” regional contest, each participant may submit her candidacy for only one of the specified categories.
Contest Categories
In 2026, the competition will feature eight categories:
1. “Leadership in Action”
For women who, in challenging circumstances, take on responsibility, make important decisions, build teams, bring people together, and ensure that concrete results are achieved for the community or region.
2. “Master of Her Craft”
For women who, through their direct professional work, ensure the region’s vital functions, particularly during shelling, accidents, destruction, resource shortages, and other emergency situations.
3. “Heart in Armor”
For women who directly defend Ukraine, ensure people’s safety, and carry out combat, operational, or rescue missions, as well as for female veterans whose journeys exemplify courage and resilience.
4. “Caring Heart”
For women who have made an exceptional contribution to preserving life and health, to recovery, and to providing psychological or social support to people, especially in the context of war, evacuation, injury, loss of home, or other difficult circumstances.
5. “Creator of Change and Opportunities”
For women who turn ideas into concrete solutions and create what did not exist before: new projects, services, spaces, programs, formats for interaction, or other opportunities for people and communities. Initiatives may be implemented both within the region and beyond its borders, but must be directly aimed at meeting the needs of residents, communities, or the development of the Donetsk region.
6. “The Power of Goodness and Unity”
For women who consistently assist the Ukrainian Armed Forces, internally displaced persons, affected families, and others; who mobilize resources and bring others together in mutual support.
7. “A Heart That Gives the Gift of Family”
For women who create a safe family environment for children in need of family care, provide love, support, and opportunities for growth, and help them overcome the effects of difficult life experiences.
8. “The Voice of Donetsk Region”
For women who, through their own achievements, influence, and public engagement, strengthen Donetsk Oblast’s presence and voice beyond the region’s borders, represent it on national and international platforms, and share stories about the region, its people, culture, potential, needs, and contemporary identity; contribute to shaping a positive image of Donetsk Oblast; and attract attention, partnerships, and new opportunities to the region.
Please note! Each nomination has a specific target audience and specific requirements regarding the candidates’ achievements, which must be detailed in the competition entry.
A detailed description of the nominations, their target audiences, and the requirements for the submitted entries can be found at the following link: https://surl.li/vjioso
Evaluation Criteria and Selection of Winners
The primary criterion for selecting the winners of the Contest is the societal significance of the candidates’ personal achievements in their respective categories during 2026.
Contest entries will be evaluated based on five criteria, three of which are common to all categories, while two are determined according to the specific characteristics of each category.
Each criterion is scored on a scale of 1 to 5 points. The maximum base score across all criteria is 25 points.
It is important to note that the proper fulfillment of professional, official, or civic duties, long-term work experience, or the possession of certificates, letters of appreciation, or other awards are not, in and of themselves, sufficient grounds for a high score.
Preference will be given to stories that highlight specific exceptional actions, decisions, achievements, projects, or initiatives that set the candidates apart from others and have a significant social impact.
To encourage new participants, ensure a level playing field, and broaden the range of stories submitted, participation coefficients will be applied in 2026:
Coefficient 1.15—applies to women participating in the competition for the first time or who have previously applied but were not selected as winners in their category.
A multiplier of 1.0 applies to women who have already won the competition in previous years.
The final score is determined by multiplying the total number of points earned by the corresponding participation coefficient.
This approach is designed to support new participants, encourage repeat participation by women who have not previously won, and broaden the range of stories represented.
Based on the results of the Contest, one winner and six nominees will be selected in each of the eight categories.
Based on the evaluation of the contest entries, a ranking of candidates is established within each category according to the number of points earned, taking into account the established participation coefficient.
The candidate with the highest final score will be nominated as the winner of the respective category, and the next six candidates in the ranking will be nominated as finalists of the Contest.
The final decision on selecting the winners and nominees is made by the Expert Council through a majority vote.
Detailed evaluation criteria are available at the following link: https://surl.li/uxpbps
Deadlines for submitting documents
The submission period for stories and documents from candidates wishing to participate in the regional contest “Woman of Donetsk Region – 2026” will run from October 15 through November 3, 2026, inclusive.
Documents required to participate in the contest
1. An application to participate in the contest, including the candidate’s personal information, contact details, place of residence, field of activity, and chosen nomination.
For the convenience of participants, a sample application form is available at the following link: https://surl.li/xyzybi);
2. A biography of the participant in Ukrainian, written in the third person, up to two A4 pages in length.
The biography should highlight the candidate’s personality, her activities, specific achievements, initiatives, results, and contributions to the life of the community, region, or Ukraine.
Particular attention should be paid to the candidate’s achievements, activities, and personal contributions specifically in 2026.
We recommend focusing not only on biographical information, professional accomplishments, or awards, but first and foremost on specific actions, decisions, and changes made possible by the woman’s personal efforts.
(Recommendations and examples for writing the profile can be found at: https://surl.li/qxostr);
3. A story preview for publication on the websites of e-Government, the Donetsk Regional State Administration, and organizations involved in the Contest, up to 2,000 characters in length.
The preview must be written in Ukrainian in the third person and should concisely, substantively, and engagingly present the participant, her activities, her most significant achievements, and her personal contribution.
(Recommendations and examples for writing the summary can be found at: https://surl.li/yzceza);
4. Photographs of the participant (one to five photos) that reflect her personality, professional, civic, volunteer, or other activities.
We recommend submitting high-quality, landscape-oriented photos in JPEG or PNG format, with a resolution of at least 1200 × 630 pixels and a file size of no more than 5 MB per file (photo guidelines can be found at: https://surl.li/shkyha)
5. Copies of documents confirming the candidate’s achievements (if available): diplomas, awards, articles, publications, information about completed projects, participation in events, forums, conferences, and other materials.
6. Copies of documents verifying identity and confirming residence (stay) in the Donetsk region:
Ukrainian passport (ID card or booklet-style passport);
an extract from the territorial community registry confirming the current or previous declared or registered place of residence (stay) in the Donetsk Oblast;
Certificate of registration as an internally displaced person (in the case of a temporary stay in another region).
7. Consent to the processing and disclosure of personal data in accordance with the requirements of the Law of Ukraine “On the Protection of Personal Data.”
(Download a sample consent form: https://surl.li/xaoqos)
Other materials that help highlight the candidate’s achievements and their social significance may be added to this list of documents.
Stories may be submitted either directly by potential candidates for the competition or by their family members, acquaintances, government agencies, local government bodies, work collectives, etc.
Requirements Regarding the Legal Status of Participants:
Participation in the competition requires that nominees adhere to the values embodied in the nominations, specifically: adherence to the principles of integrity, civic engagement, and responsibility toward the community and society.
Therefore, women who meet any of the following criteria are not eligible to participate in the competition:
– are subject to criminal proceedings under the articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;
– a court conviction has taken effect;
– there is information indicating that the candidate is wanted by law enforcement or has engaged in actions that violate the principles of human rights and gender equality.
The stories submitted by such candidates do not meet the nomination requirements and, therefore, will not be published and will not be considered for evaluation.
If such information is discovered, the application will be automatically disqualified, and the story will not be published or will be removed from public access.
Requirements for Contest Submissions
Submitted materials must comply with the Contest rules, contain accurate information, and highlight the candidate’s personal contributions.
Participants’ stories must be substantive and supported by specific examples of activities, the results of implemented initiatives, and achievements.
It is recommended to pay particular attention to describing exactly what the candidate did, what results she achieved, what problems she helped solve, and how her activities impacted the lives of people, the community, or the development of the Donetsk region.
Only stories that highlight a woman’s achievements, activities, and contributions specifically in 2026 will be accepted for consideration and evaluation. During the evaluation, the primary focus will be on the relevance of the candidate’s activities, the initiatives she has implemented, and their positive social impact in 2026.
If a participant’s activities began in previous years (prior to 2026) but demonstrate continuity, growth, and social significance in 2026, this is considered a positive indicator of long-term impact. In such cases, it is recommended to clearly indicate how exactly the initiative or activity continues and remains relevant in the current year. The sustainability of the activity is also assessed within the framework of General Criterion 2, “Results and Social Impact.”
Stories submitted to the Contest in 2023–2025 without a substantial update to their content, achievements, or 2026 context will not be considered. If an identical or nearly identical story to one previously submitted is submitted, the application may be rejected based on a decision by the Organizing Committee.
Stories containing discriminatory statements, defamation, false information, calls for national discord, profanity, or those that violate copyright will not be accepted.
Submissions that do not meet the established requirements or are submitted after the deadline will not be considered further.
For the convenience of participants, a checklist has been prepared to verify the completeness and correctness of the documents before submission (https://surl.li/nbneii)
It is recommended that documents be submitted in DOCX or PDF format, and photos in JPEG or PNG format.
Where should documents be sent?
The complete set of documents must be sent to the email address of the Department of Family, Youth, and Public Events for National-Patriotic Education of the Donetsk Regional State Administration: [email protected], with a copy sent to [email protected]
Contact person for questions regarding the organization and conduct of the competition: Nika Novik, 0501338739