Recipients of Culture and Grand Awards announced
ANKARA
The Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Awards 2015 will be presented to Münir Özkul in the field of cinema, Orhan Gencebay in the field of music, Rasim Özdenören in the fields of literature, Mehmet Genç in the field of social sciences and history and Hüseyin Kutlu in the field of traditional arts. The Culture and Arts Loyalty Award will be given to late intellectual Cemil Meriç. Within the scope of the Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Awards Regulations, the awards are distributed every year by the state to Turkish and foreign artists and institutions that contribute and honor Turkish culture and art, the Presidential Press Information Center said in a written statement.
According to the statement, the evaluation committee includes the Presidency Secretary-General Fahri Kasırga, Presidency spokesperson İbrahim Kalın, the presidency’s press consultant Lütfullah Göktaş, presidency advisor Hümeyra Şahin, Culture and Tourism Ministry Undersecretary Ahmet Haluk Dursun, Yunus Emre Institute President Hayati Develi and writer Alev Alatlı.
Upon the suggestions of the evaluation committee, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan decided the names to be presented with the award.
Özkul was a positive role model for young people throughout his respective career in the field of cinema, while Özdenören, who is called “the man growing rose,” made great contributions to the field of literature.
Gencebay will be presented with the award for expressing shared feelings thanks to his unique style and polyphonic music.
The statement said Genç was nominated for his pioneering work in the field of social sciences, while historian and calligrapher Kutlu was for his “Mushaf-ı Şerif,” written in five years.
Meriç, who will receive the Culture and Arts Loyalty Award for his writings in many fields of social sciences, died in 1987.
The ceremony of the Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Awards 2015 will be organized at the Presidential Palace on a date to be announced later.
