On September 17, 2025, the awarding ceremony for the winners of the First Municipal Annual Contest “A Time of Great Expectations”was held at Library No. 2 of the City Library System for Adults in Odesa. This contest was initiated to support creativity in various artistic fields and to revive interest in the history and culture of the local region.

A total of 31 works were submitted for the contest, including books, collections, magazines, and paintings.

In the «Prose» category, the award was given to the well-known Odesa author Oleksandr Surilov for his book «The Business Debut of Odesa», dedicated to the early enthusiasts of automotive movement in the city.

In the «Poetry» category, the talented poet Roman Lyubarsky from Kropyvnytskyi won for his poetry collection «Lilac Paradise».

Roman Lyubarsky is a member of both the National Union of Journalists and the National Union of Writers of Ukraine, and he has received several national and international literary awards. His poetry has been published in numerous Ukrainian and international publications.

In the «Local Lore» category, journalist Felix Kochrikht was recognized for his unique publications on the history of Odesa.

In the «Maritime Literature» category, the jury awarded the writer Anton Sanchенко for the collection «Matelot», which features the best stories from the Ukrainian maritime prose contest.

Other participants also received acknowledgements for their contributions.

The ceremony concluded with musical performances by students from local art schools.