Uzbekistan, Tashkent – AN Podrobno.uz. The winner of the cosplay competition at the Cyberfest festival has reported a conflict with the event's administration. According to the woman, her attempt to receive her deserved prize resulted in psychological pressure and insults from the organizers.
The issue concerns the distribution of a $1,000 prize fund intended for three winners. The winner alleges that instead of receiving her due share, she faced actions she considers deliberate fraud. The organizers, she claims, attempted to deceive her by delaying payment, leading to a protracted dispute over the promised award.
In her Instagram appeal, the woman reconstructed the chronology of events starting in November 2025. She stated that immediately after the final, the organizers assured the winners that the money would be paid within two weeks. However, in practice, only the third-place participant received payment, while the gold medalist was given empty promises and faced continuous delays.
The woman shared in her video: "I called two or three times a month to inquire about the situation, but they only promised that everything would be paid on time. January, February, and March passed." Realizing the promises were not being fulfilled, in March she filed an official complaint on the website of the Committee for the Development of Competition and Consumer Rights Protection.
According to her account, even after the committee's intervention, the organizers continued to drag out the process, promising to send confirming letters by the end of the month, but their words again did not match their actions. In mid-April, a new representative from the committee contacted her and requested evidence. In response, the participant sent links to the festival's official publications about the prize fund and photos from the award ceremony, where all winners are shown with certificates clearly stating the winning amounts.
The affected woman claims that after the oversight bodies intervened, the Cyberfest administration changed its tactics. She recounted: "They started writing to me from the festival's own Instagram account, accusing me of inciting prostitution and threatening criminal prosecution." The winner emphasized that she does not intend to leave the incident without legal resolution.
In her video address, she declared her readiness to take the matter to court over fraud and threats. She stated: "I just want to say one thing about this: this situation will not be left hanging in the air. I am ready to go to court proceedings," calling on the community for publicity and support. A Podrobno.uz correspondent sent a request to the event organizers. No response had been received at the time of publication.
Source: podrobno.uz