Prešeren prizes for students of the University of Ljubljana are awarded for outstanding achievements in the fields of science and art.
Opera and concert performance
Ireneja Nejka Čuk
Proposed by: Academy of Music, University of Ljubljana
The mezzo-soprano Ireneja Nejka Čuk is a student at the UL Academy of Music in the class of Prof. Pia Brodnik and a collaborator with the Slovenian National Theatre Opera and Ballet Ljubljana. She set a high standard for student performance with her achievements in the 2024/25 academic year, as demonstrated in Academy of Music projects and on opera stages at home and abroad. She performed in seven operatic roles, two solo parts in vocal-instrumental pieces, and gave three solo lieder recitals. Through her performances, she has convincingly shown an exceptional sensitivity for interpreting a wide range of vocal styles.
The Ballad of the Trumpet and the Cloud
Žiga Hren (director), Neža Dvorščak (actor), Alja Krhin (actor), Marko Rafolt (actor), Jure Šimonka (actor)
Proposed by: Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, University of Ljubljana
The play The Ballad of the Trumpet and the Cloud (Balada o trobenti in oblaku), based on the novel of the same name by Ciril Kosmač, was created as the final production of Žiga Hren, a master's student in theatre directing, and co-produced by the UL Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television and the Mini teater theatre. It was included in the competition programmes of the 55th Week of Slovenian Drama and the 60th Maribor Theatre Festival, where the creative team received the Borštnik Award for Special Achievement. The production stands out for its bold choice to use a theatrical “template”, for its staging concept, which takes into account the complexity of the theme from the outset, for its direction, which is confident in its execution and rich in associative connections, and for the acting performances, with the young actors taking the opportunity to offer a vivid and sensitive portrayal of Kosmač’s world, while also allowing them to express themselves authentically as young, sensitive human beings.
Advancing RNA Dynamics Analysis Through Novel Machine Learning on Multiomics Data
Jona Novljan
Proposed by: Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana
Jona Novljan completed both his undergraduate and master’s studies in Biotechnology at the Biotechnical Faculty. He worked on his master’s thesis under the supervision of Prof. Dr Miha Modic in the Laboratory for RNA Networks at the National Institute of Chemistry and the co-supervision of Dr Anob Chakrabarti from University College London. In his thesis, he developed explainable machine-learning models for the integrated analysis of biological data and identified key RNA sequence features related to their regulation and condensation. The results of his master’s research have already been published in two of the most prestigious journals in the life sciences.
Interaction of Perfluorinated Ionic Surfactants with Polyelectrolytes
Matevž Turk
Proposed by: Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana
Matevž Turk is among the top chemistry students. He completed his master’s degree with distinction at the UL Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology in January 2025. He stands out for his boundless curiosity and his drive to understand the natural world. He tackled a topical issue in colloid chemistry in his award-winning master’s thesis, concerning the nature of interactions in systems of fluorinated surfactants and polyelectrolytes. Using an original theoretical model grounded in his own experimental measurements, he assessed the influence of hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions on the behaviour of these systems and demonstrated an exceptional ability to integrate experimentation with modelling.
A Type Theory for Synthetic Categories
Ivan Kobe
Proposed by: Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana
Ivan Kobe graduated from the University of Ljubljana with a degree in philosophy and German studies in 2019, followed by a degree in mathematics in 2023. In his award-winning master’s thesis, A Type Theory for Synthetic Categories, he explored ∞-categories – mathematical structures characterised by a hierarchy of interwoven, higher-dimensional relationships. He proposed a new definition of these structures and proved that they possess the required properties. In addition, he developed a new symbolic formalism for their description and used it for computer-verified formalisation of his results.
A Distractor-Aware Memory-Based Visual Object Tracking
Jovana Videnović
Proposed by: Faculty of Computer and Information Science, University of Ljubljana
Jovana Videnović completed her master’s degree in Data Science at the UL Faculty of Computer and Information Science under the supervision of Prof. Matej Kristan and Assist. Prof. Dr Alan Lukežič. She proposed DAM4SAM in her master’s thesis, a new method for tracking arbitrary objects in environments with distractors. The method was published at CVPR 2025, which ranks just behind Nature in terms of the h5-index. The implementation on the GIT repository has received more than 400 stars, and DAM4SAM served as the foundation for all winning trackers at the VOTS2025 competition.
Correlation Between the Resistance of Superhydrophobic Surfaces to Water Droplet Impacts and Ice Adhesion
Robert Lovšin
Proposed by: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana
Robert Lovšin successfully completed his master’s degree at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in 2025. In his master’s thesis, supervised by Assistant Prof. Dr Matic Može and co-supervised by Prof. Dr Iztok Golobič, he explored the interaction of water droplets with superhydrophobic surfaces and the influence of microtopography on ice adhesion. Based on 3,500 measurements, he used machine learning to derive empirical equations describing droplet spreading upon surface impact. The results of his research have been published in three original scientific articles and presented at three international conferences.
A Contrastive Study of Grammatical Gender in English, German and Slovene: Grammatical Gender in Common Nouns and Linguistic Relativity
Lea Košmrlj
Proposed by: Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana
Lea Košmrlj completed her master’s degree in English and German Studies at the UL Faculty of Arts in 2025 with her award-winning thesis prepared under the supervision of Prof. Dr Eva Sicherl and Prof. Dr Uršula Krevs Birk. She is currently completing a parallel master’s programme in Cognitive Science at the University of Ljubljana and the University of Vienna. Košmrlj is the author and co-author of several scientific papers in the fields of psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics and artificial intelligence. In her award-winning master’s thesis, she examines grammatical gender from theoretical, diachronic, contrastive, social and experimental perspectives, with particular attention to Slovene as an empirically less explored Indo-European language.
Quantification and Assessment of Outdoor Human Thermal Comfort in Local Climate Zones of the City of Ljubljana
Tim Gregorčič
Proposed by: Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana
Tim Gregorčič completed his master’s degree at the Department of Geography at the UL Faculty of Arts, where he is currently employed as a young researcher. Under the supervision of Prof. Dr Matej Ogrin, and co-supervision of Prof. Dr Stevan Savić and Assoc. Prof. Dr Blaž Repe, he classified the local climate zones of Ljubljana and modelled the thermal comfort of people in urban areas, revealing substantial differences in thermal comfort across morphologically diverse parts of the capital. His research also provides quantitative confirmation that green infrastructure plays a significant role on improving thermal comfort and deepens our understanding of the urban microclimate.
Identification of phenotype-related genes using established databases
Aljoša Škorjanc
Proposed by: Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana
Aljoša Škorjanc, a sixth-year medical student, developed the bioinformatics tool GOReverseLookup under the supervision of Assist. Prof. Dr Nejc Umek. The tool searches for genes based on phenotypic descriptions using Gene Ontology tags. The tool, published in an international scientific journal, enables systematic searching for new genetic links with selected phenotypes and supports the formation of research hypotheses. The work stands out for its combination of in-depth medical knowledge and advanced programming skills, positioning the author among the most promising young talents in biomedical computer science.
Development of Surface Pattern Designs and Cardboard Modular Furniture for Children
Tasja Videmšek
Proposed by: Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of Ljubljana
Tasja Videmšek completed both her first- and second-cycle studies with distinction, demonstrating exceptional academic excellence and a strong dedication to design early on. During her studies, she received multiple awards for her work and presented her projects at numerous exhibitions in both Slovenia and abroad. In her master’s thesis, Development of Surface Pattern Designs and Cardboard Modular Furniture for Children, prepared under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Katja Burger Kovič, she focused on designing innovative, holistically conceived products for children. Her work creates a dialogue among design, pedagogy, psychology and ecology, and highlights the importance of sustainable approaches. The prototypes of modular furniture made of lightweight, solid and fully recyclable cardboard show exceptional potential for further development and commercialisation. The results of her master’s thesis have been successfully showcased to experts and the wider public on several occasions, including at the Baušpil exhibition in Ljubljana and at the international symposium on innovations in textiles, Crossing Boundaries.
Feeding and Swallowing Disorders in Late Preterm Infants
Nina Žumer
Proposed by: Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana
Nina Žumer, a high school graduate with honours, enrolled in the Speech and Language Therapy programme at the UL Faculty of Education in 2018. During her studies, she participated in several research projects and presented her findings in two published articles and at congresses in both Slovenia and abroad. In her master’s thesis, she studied feeding and swallowing difficulties in children born 4–6 weeks prematurely, and their potential connection to later speech disorders. The study included 89 late preterm and 88 full-term infants. The analysis of parent questionnaires and medical records revealed that swallowing difficulties, shorter breastfeeding duration, exclusive bottle feeding, and speech development delays occurred significantly more often in late preterm infants, highlighting the need for a comprehensive approach to their care. No statistically significant association was found between feeding difficulties and later speech development.