On January 23, a roundtable discussion and awards ceremony for the winners of the Competition “Green Energy – Bright Future” took place at the Ýyldyz Hotel in Ashgabat. The competition was organized by the Türkmengaz State Concern, the Nebit-Gaz Newspaper, the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Ussatnews Online Newspaper.

The competition, which launched in May 2025 as part of the International Year of Peace and Trust, aimed to raise public awareness of modern energy solutions and to support Turkmenistan’s national priorities in the areas of ecology, energy conservation and climate policy. As part of the initiative, participants submitted articles on renewable energy sources, energy efficiency and the implementation of green projects in the country.

The submissions included dozens of publications from various regions of Turkmenistan. The authors discussed current issues related to the rational use of resources, the introduction of modern technologies and sustainable development. In their works, many drew upon the ideas outlined by the National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in his work Independence is Our Happiness, which emphasizes the need for scientific and technological reforms and sustainable solutions for a prosperous future.

The best articles were published in the Nebit-Gaz Newspaper and on the websites oilgas.gov.tm and ussatnews.com.

The winners of the competition were:

• 1st place:

Ahmet Geldiyev (department editor at the Watan Newspaper), Sapargylych Durdygylyjov (laboratory head at the Natural Gas Research Institute, Türkmengaz State Concern) and Mammet Mammedov (department head at the Nebit-Gaz Newspaper).

• 2nd place:

Nurmuhammet Allanazarov (engineer at the Renewable Energy Research and Production Center, State Energy Institute of Turkmenistan), Yagmyr Atayev (chief specialist at the Environment Protection Department, Ministry of Environment Protection of Turkmenistan, student at the Academy of Civil Service under the President of Turkmenistan), Muhammetnur Yazgeldiyev (student at the Turkmen State Institute of Culture).

• 3rd place:

Kerimmuhammet Muhametorazov (specialist at the Ministry of Education), Annajemal Amangylyjova (teacher at the Institute of Telecommunications and Informatics), Nabat Vepayeva (specialist at the Young Naturalist Public Organization).

The first-place winners received certificates for a study tour abroad as part of the Project “The European Union for Green Development of Turkmenistan: Political Dialogue and Climate Action for 2024–2028”, funded by the EU and the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. The second- and third-place winners received commemorative gifts.

Dr. Karolina Milow, Head of the Green Central Asia Program (GIZ), emphasized the competition had demonstrated the genuine engagement of young people and professionals in sustainable energy issues. “Our cooperation not only helps us exchange best practices but also creates a platform for implementing Turkmenistan’s environmental strategy. We are pleased that the winners will be able to broaden their horizons during their study tour to Europe,” Caroline Milow noted.

Due to numerous requests from readers of the Nebit-Gaz Newspaper and visitors to the websites oilgas.gov.tm and ussatnews.com, the organizers decided to announce a similar competition again.