“Štefica Cvek” 2025: Final shortlist to be announced in Podgorica during Montenegro Pride Week

The “Štefica Cvek” literary award shortlist will be revealed tonight in Podgorica, followed by a public discussion.

Tonight, October 3, 2025, at 8 PM, the regional literary award “Štefica Cvek” will announce its final selection at A Room of One’s Own (Bokeška 20) in Podgorica. The event is part of Montenegro’s Pride Week program and will be followed by a discussion with the organizers and members of the jury.

This year’s longlist included 22 works, and the audience will finally find out which titles made it into the shortlist. For those unable to attend in person, the organizers will provide a live broadcast on the Rebellious Readers YouTube channel.

The Story Behind “Štefica Cvek”

The literary award “Štefica Cvek” is named after the cult novel “Štefica Cvek in the Jaws of Life” (1981) by Dubravka Ugrešić, one of the most important and daring works of Yugoslav literature. With biting irony and humor, Ugrešić exposed the everyday struggles, desires, and social pressures of women at a time when such perspectives were rarely recognized as serious literature.

The award carries this name to underline the continuity of women’s writing in the region and to celebrate critical, rebellious voices in literature. Behind the initiative stands the collective Rebellious Readers, who have been building a community for years through nominations, readings, and conversations about contemporary literature.

The shortlist announcement of the “Štefica Cvek” award will take place tonight, followed by a public conversation with some of the selectors and authors.

👉 The live stream will be available on the Rebellious Readers YouTube channel.