“Macedonian smart system ding.mk wins regional award at Green Business Competition”

From 3 to 5 November, Prizren hosted the 15th anniversary edition of the regional competition ‘Balkan Green Ideas 2026’. This annual event brings together and supports innovative entrepreneurs from the six Western Balkan countries, focusing on environmental protection, the circular economy, renewable sources, and sustainable development. The best ideas were awarded grants of $5,000 and $10,000. 

Among this year’s regional winners were three particularly inspiring initiatives from the region:

• ding.mk (N. Macedonia) — a smart system that helps companies save energy, prevent machine breakdowns, and digitalize production processes more efficiently.
• Teshat.com (Kosovo) — a circular fashion platform that collects, repairs, and upcycles clothing before returning it for reuse.
• Laneno (Bosnia and Herzegovina) — a premium luxury bedding brand that combines top-tier comfort with circular economy principles through a filling made from recycled textiles.

The Macedonian team ding.mk brought great joy and new regional recognition to our country. On the occasion of this regional success, the winner, Blagojche Kolichovski, stated: 

“We are genuinely happy and proud that our idea DING has been recognized and awarded at Balkan Green Ideas 2026. This recognition represents huge motivation for us and confirmation that technology and innovation can have a positive impact on the environment and on the way businesses operate. DING is a smart system that, with the help of sensors and artificial intelligence, enables continuous monitoring, early detection of potential problems, and process automation. Our goal is to help companies reduce energy consumption, prevent unnecessary losses, and use existing resources and equipment more efficiently.”

Following the conclusion of the competition, Katerina Panova Matoska of ARNO said: 

“We are very happy and proud of the success of ding.mk and of all our representatives in Prizren. Looking at all the innovative ideas from the region — from systems for sorting and giving a second life to electronic waste, to rural tourism, smart solar soil sensors, and agricultural rovers — it once again confirmed how much creative energy there is in the region. ARNO follows this competition both to see what is happening in the ecosystem and, through the „Invest for Change“ project, to consciously steer toward the development of impact enterprises. That is precisely why, this year, for the first time, we introduced a new standard for the national finalists — a mandatory slide with clear, measurable impact indicators. We are immensely happy that our entrepreneurs rose to this challenge and proved that they create visible and sustainable change.” 

Alongside ding.mk’s winning success, Macedonia also delivered an excellent performance at the regional competition with its two other national winning solutions: Kosta Boguchevski with the ‘Urban Farm’ concept for vertical microgreens cultivation, and Blagojche Najdovski (‘Medoteka Najdovski’) with the innovative ‘Premium Protein from Waste’ — a protein lemonade made from walnut byproducts. 

ARNO has been administering the competition for 12 years and is proud of its regional successes. To date, through the competition, the following Macedonian green businesses have been supported: ‘Our Good Land’, ‘SPIN’, ‘Food for All’, ‘Eco-Magician Kristian Shopov’, ‘Bio Smart Rice’, ‘Challenger’, ‘Wise Additive’, ‘O-Circle’, ‘Insect Pilot Room’, Mirjana Josifoska, MobiStove, LoaNaturals, and this year’s winner, ding.mk.