Turkish presidency announces culture, art award winners

ANKARA

The Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry announced Nov. 26 this year’s Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Awards, which are distributed every year by the state to Turkish and foreign artists and institutions that contribute and honor Turkish culture and art. 

The literature prize was awarded to Nuri Pakdil who died earlier this year, according to a statement by the Directorate of Communications.

Well-known Turkish pop-rock band MFÖ’s members Mazhar Alanson, Fuat Güner and Özkan Uğur won the award for music for their representation of cultural identity.

Mesut Uçakan was awarded the cinema award for lifetime contributions in the field.

The painting award was given to Devrim Erbil for his works related to cultural traditions
Fuat Başar was given the traditional art award for his work in calligraphy and marbling art.
The architecture award went to Doğan Kuban for his theoretical and conceptual studies on the history of Turkish architecture, restoration activities and his views emphasizing the identity of Turkish works in Islamic architecture.

The award in the field of social sciences was given to Ahmet Yaşar Ocak for his academic contributions to Islamic history and cultural historiography.

The loyalty award was given to former Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Ahmet Haluk Dursun who died in a traffic accident in August in eastern Turkey.

A ceremony will be held at the Presidential Complex on Dec. 19 to present the awards.