Skopje, 24 September 2025 (MIA) — The Macedonian Writers Association’s annual Danica Ruchigaj prize, as of this year given to a best unpublished poetry book, will be awarded to Aleksandra Jurukovska’s manuscript “Tkazhalki” [“Weavеlaments”], the MWA said in a press release.

Ten unpublished poetry collections were submitted to this year’s contest between July 18 and Aug. 18. The panel of judges who chose the winning entry consisted of Lulzim Haziri, Vesna Acevska and Suzana Miceva.

According to the judges, Jurukovska’s poetry debut consists of 30 poems “painted with a patina” of archaic words and regionalisms. “This is how the author introduces a personal note into contemporary Macedonian poetry. She pulls out both older and dialect words from the vernacular and skillfully inserts them into her poems, reviving and enriching our lexicon,” they wrote.

The judges also said the book “offers a catharsis but also serves as a reminder that words are the only trace that can transcend transcience.”

Aleksandra Jurukovska (b. 1981, Skopje) is a journalist and a literary critic. She has published several collections of book reviews and essays. She has been a member of the MWA since 2019.

In 2015, when the Danica Ruchigaj award was instituted, it was given to a best poetry collection written by a woman in the previous year and the entries were published books.

In 2025, the MWA changed the rules and invited members to submit manuscripts instead, to compete for the prize of publication. The winner also receives a plaque.

The annual award celebrates the legacy of Macedonian poet Danica Ruchigaj, who lost her life at age 29 in the 1963 Skopje earthquake. Ruchigaj was the first woman to publish a poetry book in Macedonian.