President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska participated in the ceremony of awarding the 2024 Taras Shevchenko National Prize.
"Today, we announce worthy winners of the Shevchenko Prize. We thank them," said the Head of State.
According to the President's decree, the 2024 Taras Shevchenko National Prize in the Music Art category was awarded to artist Susana Jamaladinova (Jamala) for the album Qirim.
Also in the Music Art category, composer Karmella Tsepkolenko received the prize for cantatas "Reading the History" based on the poetry of Oksana Zabuzhko, "Where are you coming from, dark caravan, you flock of birds?" based on the poetry of Serhiy Zhadan, Duel-duet for violin and double bass, and Symphony No. 5.
In the Literature category, the prize was awarded to poet and servicewoman Yaryna Chornohuz for the poetry book "[dasein: defense of presence]" and to poet and serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Dmytro Lazutkin for the poetry book "Bookmark."
Artist Andriy Yermolenko received the award in the Visual Arts category for the series of artworks "Ukrainian resistance."
The laureates of the prize in the Theatrical Art category were stage director Ivan Uryvsky, production designer Tetiana Ovsiichuk, and choir conductor Susanna Karpenko for the performance "The Witch of Konotop" based on the story by Hryhoriy Kvitka-Osnovyanenko at the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater.
In the Publicism/Journalism category, the prize winners were Yevhen Maloletka, Mstyslav Chernov, and Vasylysa Stepanenko for a series of journalistic materials on the siege of Mariupol (reports, photo and video reports, investigations, and the film "20 Days in Mariupol"). The film crew is in Los Angeles, representing Ukrainian cinema at the Oscar award ceremony.
The President called on those present to honor the memory of Ukrainian artists whose lives were taken by the Russian war.
"Viktoria Amelina. Volodymyr Vakulenko. Anton Romanchenko. Viktor Onysko. Ivan Kuzminsky. And many, many others... Who created and added deep meaning to the simple mode of address 'Ukrainian men, Ukrainian women.' I ask now to honor the memory of all whose lives became the life of Ukraine," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He said that war may take away a talented person from us, but it will never take away the memory of how much this talent has gifted Ukraine and our people, nor will it take away the respect for it.
"I want the memory of Ukrainian talents to never fade away. I want the strength of Ukrainian talents to never diminish. And I want applause to Ukrainian talents always sound in Ukraine," added the President.
The solemn event was attended by Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk, Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak and his deputies, Chairman of the Committee on the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine Yevhen Nyschuk, Acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy Rostyslav Karandieiev, and other officials.
Also invited to the prize ceremony were military pressonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and employees of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
The Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine is a state award for the most outstanding works of literature and art, journalism, and publicism, which are the pinnacle of the spiritual heritage of the Ukrainian people, affirm high humanistic ideals, enrich the historical memory of the people, their national consciousness and identity, aimed at state-building and democratization of Ukrainian society. This year, the prize amount is UAH 429,000 each.
