Until September 30, 2026 (inclusive), the organizers are accepting entries for the IV All-Ukrainian KontraFACTS Media Awards for journalistic works. The annual competition, held by the "Ukrtutyun" Association, is dedicated to one of the country's underreported yet economically significant problems — the illegal trade in tobacco products. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the award organizers. Submissions are already underway: radio and television journalists, authors from online media and print publications, as well as independent creators of digital content, podcasters, and other formats are invited to participate.
Award goals and competition logic
As conceived by the organizers, the award is meant to serve two functions at once: draw public attention to the scale of shadow trade in tobacco products and support professional journalistic materials that explain the consequences of this phenomenon for the economy and society. As emphasized by the "Ukrtutyun" Association, it is precisely comprehensive and professional media coverage of the problem, and the exposure of its destructive consequences, that should become one of the tools in the fight against the illegal market. Thus, the competition is positioned not as an entertainment event, but as an element of an information campaign against the shadow economy in the tobacco sector.
Who can participate and how to submit a work
The geography and formats of participation are broad: the competition is open to representatives of traditional media (radio, television, print), online publications, as well as independent authors and creators of digital content, including podcasts. Entries accepted are materials created and published starting from July 14, 2026. Submissions are made via the organizers' email: [email protected]. All participants whose works are accepted in accordance with the competition rules receive a guaranteed participation prize of 2,500 hryvnias.
Scale of the problem: figures on shadow markets
The context of the competition is set by the data cited by the organizers. According to Kantar Ukraine, since the beginning of 2026 the share of the illegal cigarette market in the country has grown to 19.8%, and the expected annual losses to the state budget due to unpaid taxes are estimated at 33 billion hryvnias. In addition, as previously reported, Ukraine ranked third among 38 European countries in the volume of illegal tobacco product sales. It is precisely these figures, in the organizers' logic, that make journalistic investigation on this topic not just a professional but a socially significant task.
Contradictory data
When cross-checking the materials, discrepancies in the presentation of financial and ranking figures that should be taken into account are noticeable. First, the main text of the announcement mentions a guaranteed payout to a participant of 2,500 hryvnias, whereas the source headline refers to a total prize fund of 200,000 hryvnias: these are different metrics (an individual participation payout versus the aggregate prize fund), yet they are not explicitly compared in the text, which may be misleading. Second, the claim that Ukraine ranks third among 38 European countries in the volume of illegal tobacco is presented in the phrasing "as previously reported" without specifying a concrete source or the date of the study, so it cannot be considered verified within the scope of this release. Both positions are stated openly: the reader should distinguish between the guaranteed payout and the total fund, and treat the European ranking as a reference to earlier data.
Conclusion: submissions for the IV KontraFACTS Media Awards 2026 will close on September 30, 2026, and additional information on the rules and categories is available on the award's official website. For journalists, this is an opportunity to receive a guaranteed payout for participation and, in case of a win, a share of the total 200,000-hryvnia fund, while working on a topic that, according to the organizers, costs the Ukrainian budget tens of billions of hryvnias each year.
