Face to Face has won the award for best campaign at this year’s International Street Press Network Awards, which took place in Liverpool last night. The Best Campaign category is for street newspapers and magazines that have raised awareness of the problems faced by their vendors or have advocated for change that will improve the work of their vendors. Over 90 magazines from 35 countries around the world took part in the competition.
The magazines competed in six categories: best cover, best article, best campaign, best vendor support, best vendor contribution, best photography. "Face to Face" was also among the five finalists in the Best Cover category with a cover dedicated to women's economic empowerment, designed by Ružica Mandičevska (Ruki Čuki).
This award for the best campaign is given to initiatives with a significant social impact. The campaign launched by “Face to Face” also received significant media support and cooperation with associations that provided free legal aid. After long legal battles, the issue remained unresolved until May 2023, when the death of Memet Kamber sparked public outcry and intensified advocacy efforts. In June 2023, following these efforts, an amendment to the Civil Registry Law was adopted, allowing people born in the country to finally obtain personal documents.
A year later, most of the vendors had received their documents, and the country was close to becoming the first in Europe to end statelessness. This movement, which was started by Face to Face, also earned the magazine the Meto Jovanovski State Human Rights Award in December 2023.
Prior to this initiative, social mentors were engaged to provide support to young Face to Face sellers, guiding them towards an open labor market and fulfilling their right to work. This included six months of intensive support, with the aim of helping sellers find employment opportunities and integrate into the labor market, thereby exiting the system of social dependency and becoming active participants capable of earning a living.
This award recognizes Face to Face's commitment to social justice and its ongoing efforts to support those who need it most.
English 
Macedonian