Montefon Awards
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Montefon | |
|---|---|
| Country | Montenegro |
| Presented by | Association of Variety Artists and Performers of Montenegro (EUI) |
| First award | 2001 |
The Montefon Awards are annual music awards in Montenegro recognizing achievements by local artists in contemporary popular and folk music. Established in 2001, the awards are regarded as one of the country’s principal national music awards.
Montefon was created to promote the Montenegrin music scene during a period of increased artistic activity.[1] The awards recognize achievements in popular and folk music and aim to provide visibility to both established and emerging performers. The ceremony was officially presented as Godišnje nagrade – Oskar popularnosti (transl. Annual Awards – Oscars of Popularity).[2]
History
The awards were founded by Montenegrin singer and cultural organizer Bojan Bajramović, then president of the Udruženje estradnih umjetnika i izvođača Crne Gore (EUI; transl. Association of Variety Artists and Performers of Montenegro).[1]
The inaugural ceremony took place on 17 December 2001 at the Morača Sports Center in Podgorica. It featured awards in competitive categories, along with special honors for artistic contribution and a Discovery of the Year award for emerging artists.[2][3] The ceremony was hosted by Ivan Maksimović and Dušica Vugdelić and included performances by nominees and special guest appearances by Tijana Dapčević and Ksenija Pajčin. It was organized by the EUI in cooperation with Sound Records and formed part of Podgorica's December Days of Culture. It received institutional support from the Government of Montenegro and the Secretariat for Culture, with reported organizational costs of approximately 27,000 German marks.[2]
The second edition, Montefon 2002, was held on 16 and 17 December at the KIC Budo Tomović, continuing the awards' focus on popular and folk music.[4]
The awards were held annually through Montefon 2007 in February 2008 and were subsequently discontinued after founder Bojan Bajramović withdrew from preparations for health reasons and died later that year, with no successor assuming responsibility.[1][5][6]
Revival
The revival of the Montefon Awards was initiated by Danijel Alibabić, president of EUI, in cooperation with the Montenegrin public broadcaster RTCG.[7] The awards returned in 2024 as part of the Montesong, Montenegro’s national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest.[8] In 2025, Montefon was again presented during the Montesong 2025.[9]
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