The competition judges

Dr Kostas Mygdalis, General Coordinator of the Competition, Greece

Dr of Theology, Architect, Advisor of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy. Member of the Organisational Committee of Pan‑European Congress „Orthodoxy in the New European Reality” (1993) organised by the Greek Parliament. Founding member of the Centre for Ecumenical Studies and Inter‑Orthodox Information seated in Thessaloniki.
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Professor Dr. Manal Helal Ayoub Gergis, Art Commissioner of the Competition, Egypt

Egyptian visual artist, Professor of Sculpture and Design at the Faculty of Applied Arts, Capital University, Egypt. Her artistic practice encompasses sculpture, painting, ceramics, and contemporary visual arts, alongside academic research in cultural heritage, public art, and design. For more than twenty-five years, Professor Gergis has explored the relationship between art, identity, and cultural heritage. One of her principal areas of interest is the Holy Family's Journey in Egypt as a unique cultural and spiritual heritage route that inspires artistic creativity and intercultural dialogue.
www.manal-helal.com

Mr Georgios Kordis, Chair, Greece

Prof. Mohsen Kamel Khalil Youssef, Egypt

Professor Emeritus and former Acting Head of the Decoration Department, Faculty of Applied Arts. Member of the Fine Artists Syndicate, Applied Arts Designers Syndicate, and Cairo Atelier; held solo art exhibitions. Designed massive murals (e.g., Conrad Hotel, Oriental Weavers) and architectural beautification works for mosques, churches, and international institutions like the Central Library in Germany and the US Embassy.

Ms. Ilda Mara, Albania

Cultural manager, media professional, publisher, and international cooperation expert with over 30 years of experience. She is the founder and Executive Director of ARGJIRO, a French-Albanian NGO dedicated to establishing and developing international cultural exchanges and building bridges of dialogue between Albania and Europe. She is also the publisher and Executive Director of the Albanian cultural periodical Art & Trashëgimi (Art & Heritage). Ilda Mara graduated from two renowned Parisian institutions: the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) and the Institut de Langues et de Civilisations Orientales (INALCO). She began her career in Paris in 1997 at the French weekly Courrier International (until 2008), while also contributing to the quarterly Politique Internationale and Courrier des Balkans since 2000. From 2002 to 2006, she worked as a consultant for UNESCO. Her extensive media experience includes collaborations on numerous documentaries with leading French channels such as Arte, Canal+, France 2, and France 24.

Dr. Seyranush Manukyan, Armenia

Art historian, art theorist, and scholar. She graduated from the Department of Art History of Lomonosov Moscow State University. She holds a PhD in Art History and is an Associate Professor at the Department of History and Theory of Armenian Art, Faculty of History, Yerevan State University, and a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Arts of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia.
Her doctoral dissertation was devoted to the topic “Rubrication in the System of Artistic Design of Armenian Manuscript Gospels.” Her research focuses on Armenian medieval and modern art, as well as Armenian-Byzantine, Armenian-Western European, and Armenian-Eastern European cultural relations. She is the author of approximately 150 scholarly articles, conference papers, monographs, albums, and scholarly catalogues, published in various languages and devoted to the medieval art of Armenia and Armenian art of the second half of the 20th century.

Ms. Ekaterine Gedevanishvili, Georgia

Mr. Markos Kampanis , Greece

Aleksander Wasyluk, Poland

President of the OrthNet Association. Εditor and one of the founders of www.orthphoto.net - a global online community platform and photo gallery for amateur and professional photographers. It showcases the beauty, traditions, and life of the Orthodox Christian faith worldwide through community-shared images. Founder of a Polish website about and for orthodox believers www.cerkiew.pl. Currently working for a photo educational project: www.szerokikadr.pl for Nikon Poland.
www.aleksanderwasyluk.pl

Mr. Coman Mihai, Romania

Lecturer, Sacred Art department, Faculty of Orthodox Theology, Bucharest University Associated lecturer, Department of Restoration and Conservation, Faculty of Art History, Art University Bucharest Church painter attested by the Church Painting Committee of Romanian Patriarchy (since 2003). Member of Romanian Artists Association (since 2005). Member EIKONA group – Icon Painters Teaching in European Universities (since 2008) Chairman of Orthodoxy and the Visual Arts Group, IOTA - International Orthodox Theological Association din 2024 Studies

Ms. Nina Kvlividze, Russia

Associate Professor of the Theory and History of Art of the Russian State University of Theoretical Studies. Professor, president of history and theory of ecclesiastical art at Moscow Ecclesiastical Academy. Doctor and art critic, Associate Professor. Scientific officer of the Church Art Editorial and Archeology of the Orthodox Encyclopedia. Member of the Scientific-Editorial Board of the Orthodox Encyclopedia. Member of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society, Specialist in Byzantine, Ancient Russian Art and Christian iconography and Author of more than 80 scientific papers.

Mr. Todor Mitrovic, Serbia

Born in Belgrade, Serbia, 1972. Graduated from the Faculty of Fine arts (FLU) at the University of Arts in Belgrade, 1997; awarded Doctor of Arts degree, from the same Faculty/University, 2015. Exhibited artworks at twelve solo exhibitions, and at numerous group exhibitions throughout the world. Active engagement in the Belgrade art scene with abstract paintings (awarded for the exhibition in 1999). Painting icons since 1993. Having experienced diverse modes of artistic expression (portrait, abstract, and icon painting), Todor Mitrović is trying to make a bridge between the Church and contemporary art in his icons. Through artistic and theoretic postgraduate researches he achieved to exhibit icons as an academically recognized development of contemporary art scene. Teaching different courses about (portable) icon painting, on bachelor and master level, at the Academy of Serbian Orthodox Church for Fine Arts and Conservation in Belgrade, in status of (full) Professor. Theoretically researching Church art through the fields of art theory, art history (Byzantine), theology, semiotics... Published numerous papers and three books, one of which was later translated and published in two European languages.

Mr Dimitru Musteata , Moldova

Prof. Mr Nikos Nikolaidis, Cyprus

Prof. Angel Miovski, North Macedonia

Mr Mitko Ivanov , Bulgaria