Igor Jovanovic

Igor Jovanovic’s life changed at primary school … thanks to an ice cream! A creative child who loved writing stories, Igor came up with a new slogan for his favorite ice cream by leading regional brand Frikom. Frikom loved the slogan, adapting it for their packaging and billboards – and paid Igor with a supply of ice cream! They introduced him to their business partners and his career was launched.  

In time, Igor joined the ‘Dragon in Green Socks’ association for young entrepreneurs and gifted students. Igor became the manager of the association for cooperation, was elected in 3 state delegations from Asia and Africa and participated in the largest, jubilee session of the Inter - Parliamentary Union in Belgrade 2018. Through ‘Dragon in Green Socks’, he came to represent an international company at the 2019 Ministry of Science and Serbian Chamber of Commerce Competition for Best Technological Innovation – beating strong competition to come first in the Best Business Plan and Best Specification categories. The prize was the first in a long line of successes for Igor: in 2020 he was selected from 750 applicants as one of the best delegates in projects of "Organization for Security and Cooperarion in Europe - OSCE; he won first place for his documentary about Serbian culture in a competition run by the Embassy of Norway in 2018; and he won best radio show for EU project "Eco Echo" in 2017. Earlier this year, he was invited to China for two months to develop technology innovations.  

Away from business and innovation, Igor has won numerous literary prizes and gold medals for sporting achievements. He also came first in art competitions run by the Australian Embassy in Serbia and the German NGO ‘JANUN’ for pieces promoting social topics such as ecology, cultural heritage and health. He has also participated in a number of international conferences, including the Digital Summit of the Western Balkans WB6 (2019), the Belgrade Strategic Dialogue (2019-2020), and the Belgrade Security Forum (2021). 

Growing up in Serbia, Igor has encountered aggression, political turmoil and security problems. As a result, he has volunteered for the Red Cross and worked with overseas embassies on cultural and diplomatic projects to help foster better community relations. One such is the establishment of the Center for International Cooperation with Asian and African Countries. He has helped found a Puppet Theatre in Germany, through which he is trying to educate children about problems like climate change and migration. He is also a founder of a project to renovate the eco village Zezelj, where he has helped to install ecologically friendly energy systems, innovative solutions with water, rejuvenate the landscape, and plant organic produce.  

If successful, Igor plans to give his prize money to others and use the honour of winning to promote his projects and causes around the world.