MadeinVilnius.lt awards are back. Every year, at the end of the year, we announce five nominations, with which we want to mark exceptional, extramural and new events, people, places and projects of the year. In 2023, new restaurants and cafes, museums, entertainment and leisure places appeared in the city, which will compete in the awards for the best rating of Vilnius residents.
This year, awards will be given in 5 categories: "Debut of the Year 2023", "Best restaurant/cafe/bar 2023", "Vilnius of the Year 2023", Project of the Year 2023", "Event of the Year (event) 2023". Vilnius residents themselves will be able to choose the best nominee in each category.
NOMINATION: "Vilnius of the Year 2023"
Today we present the last nomination "Vilnius of the Year 2023". Persons included in this nomination: politicians, athletes, public representatives and others who made Vilnius famous in Lithuania and around the world.
Bgirl Nicka
Fifteen-year-old break dancer Dominika Banevič - Bgirl Nicka became 2023. European break champion in the group of adult girls. The minor defeated Anna Ponomarenko - Bgirl Stefani from Ukraine, who will celebrate her thirtieth birthday next year. Later, the young break dancer won a competition in Portugal and took 1st place among 80 participants in the legendary break tournament "Freestyle Session".
Alexander Sorokin
In February, the International Ultramarathon Association (IAU) announced that Lithuanian long-distance runner Aleksandras Sorokinas was recognized as the best male athlete of 2022. He received such recognition for the third time and the second time in a row. Alexander Sorokin is the only runner in the world who has broken even five world records. In the spring, he once again broke the world record. He covered the 100 km distance in Vilnius in 6 hours. 5 minutes and 35 sec.
Martin Levickis
Martynas Levickis, the accordionist who made Lithuania famous in the world, started a new chapter in his career in November: his alma mater, the Royal Academy of Music in London, invited Martynas to become a visiting professor. In the summer of this year, Mr. Levickis worked at the famous German classical music festival "Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" as a resident. And on October 8 he will be solemnly announced as instrumentalist of the year at the Opus Klassik ceremony, the most important European classical music awards.
Monika Linkyte
This year, Monika Linkytė represented Lithuania in Eurovision with her song and took 11th place in the final. The singer represented the country with the song "Čiūto Tūto", the text of which is based on local folklore, and the words "Čiūto Tūto" are often used in Lithuanian folk dances as a magical incantation. The girl captivated the audience and the commission with her unusual voice.
Rapolas Vareika
Rapolas Vareika, mixology ambassador of MV GROUP Distribution LT, entered the Guinness Book of Records. The Lithuanian broke the record in the field of "flairing" - juggling bottles and other tools used in bars. Until now, the record for this event, which is a favorite of bartenders, belonged to the British Tom Dyer, who nearly 12 years ago elbowed the bottle 29 times without a break.
Kristina Sabaliauskaitė
For the first time, the book of contemporary Lithuanian prose, Kristina Sabaliauskaitė's novel "Petro Imperatorė", was published by perhaps the most desirable French publishing house of all writers - the famous "Gallimard" and its division "Éditions de La Table Ronde", a foreign author presenting in the "Quai Voltaire" series. The novel was also published in many other European countries, where it entered the TOP. In Vilnius, the writer was awarded the sign of honorary citizen of Vilnius.
Robert Duchnevich
In the spring, in the second round of local government elections, the candidate of the Lithuanian Polish Election Action-Christian Families Union (LLRA-KŠS) was defeated by Social Democrat Robert Duchnevič. After many years in Vilnius district a historical turning point occurred and a candidate from the non-LLRA-KŠS party became mayor. It is expected that the new mayor will bring great changes to the Vilnius district, where tangible results can already be seen.
Mykolas Alekna
In April, the European Athletics Association "European Athletics" announced that the best European athlete of the month for April was the young Lithuanian discus thrower Mykolas Alekna. In May, Lietuvis won the NCAA "Pac-12" competition. In July, the athlete won a gold medal at the European Athletics U23 age group championship. Bronze medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. Last October, the athlete became the rising star of European athletics for the second year in a row.
