Jury’s Special Prize – Nino Tseretiani – Svaneti
By profession, Nino Tseretiani is an ethnologist researching the historical and cultural heritage of Svaneti.
Her initiative focuses on the revival and study of an ancient cheese-making tradition. This tradition involves curdling milk using multizarkva (a local herb) and other plants—a practice believed to have been widespread in ancient times. She discovered this forgotten technique through an etymological analysis of the Svanetian word for khachapuri, which led her to successfully recreate the method in practice. She now aims to revive this discovery as part of traditional Svanetian life.
3rd Place – Nestan Bluashvili – Samtskhe-Javakheti
A film director by profession, Nestan Bluashvili researches Georgia’s Islamic heritage—specifically, Georgian mosques built by Laz master craftsmen. She has identified strong parallels between the decorative elements of medieval Georgian church architecture and the wooden ornamentation found in these mosques.
She has created detailed sketches of many of these ornaments and published them in a catalog. Her aspiration is to see the mosques restored and repurposed as museums, similar to the approach taken in Cappadocia.
3rd Place – Mariam Lomsadze – Shida Kartli, Gori
Mariam Lomsadze is the curator of the State Museum-Reserve of the Greater Liakhvi Valley. She actively participates in cultural heritage preservation projects implemented in the region.
She also conducts ethnographic research, focusing on the lived experiences of Georgian-Ossetian families displaced from the village of Disevi (located in the Little Liakhvi Valley) as a result of the August 2008 war. Her master’s thesis was dedicated to this topic.
2nd Place – Irine Jibuti – Kakheti
A ceramicist by profession, Irine Jibuti researches endemic Georgian clays and traditional ceramic kilns. Her aim is to revive and reintroduce the knowledge and practice of their use.
She is conducting this research and preparing a future publication independently, driven by personal initiative and enthusiasm.
2nd Place – Davit Dugladze – Shida Kartli, Kakheti
A schoolteacher by profession, Davit Dugladze teaches history to children, yet his interests are diverse. He actively researches traditional Georgian medicine and domestic crafts, studies old manuscripts, and collects orally transmitted folk remedies and recipes.
He maintains a small family farm where he cultivates heirloom Georgian plant varieties, keeps bees and poultry, and raises Georgian silkworms to produce raw silk cocoons. He generously shares his knowledge with others, particularly with his students.
1st Place – Tamar Gzirishvili
For over ten years, Tamar Gzirishvili has been researching the ethnography of Khevsureti. She records oral traditions directly from the local population and shares them with a wider audience through informative posts published online.
