Plava vrpca Vjesnika award

Plava vrpca Vjesnika (the Vjesnik Blue Ribbon) is an award given for saving life and property at sea. The award was dedicated in 1966 by writer Ratko Zvrko, at that time the editor of the maritime pages in the Croatian daily newspaper Vjesnik. Vjesnik was a newspaper that covered topics concerning the public, political, social and economic life of Croatia. After Vjesnik ceased to exist as a newspaper in 2012, the Seafarers’ Union of Croatia took over the award and registered it as its property.

Plava vrpca Vjesnika is a project that takes place throughout the year: nominations are collected, video material is made with seafarers responsible for rescues while the awards ceremony, organised in December every year, is the grand finale.

The best of the best, the bravest of the brave are chosen by the award committee.

The award is given to individuals and teams. Winners in the individual competition receive a gold ring and a silk pennant and the award for teams consists of a silver plaque and a silk pennant. Also, all nominees receive a plaque as a memento of their nomination for this prestigious award. 

The Plava vrpca Vjesnika award is a unique recognition and, as such, is highly important to seafarers who arrive at the awards ceremony with their whole families to share an important, emotional and festive moment. Being a seafarer is a special profession; what it is like to be at sea for months on end can be understood only by those who have experienced it themselves. This is exactly why seafarers appreciate the award and look forward to the awards ceremony where they pay tribute to each other. The recognition bestowed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) being modelled after the Plava vrpca Vjesnika award speaks to the importance of the project.

The Seafarers’ Union of Croatia took over the Plava vrpca Vjesnika project because it wanted to protect it from any external or political influence, and it is a great honour that we continue to succeed in this.