Through public competition, the Ministry of Culture supports the professional development of talented young artists and professionals in the area of film, theatre, music, dance, literature, visual arts, and protection of movable and immovable cultural heritage. The priority is given to studies that do not exist within the Macedonian educational system.
Other examples of direct support include: an annual open competition for artists to spend time at Cité International des Arts in Paris, and several state awards (“11th October” Award which is the most important national award; “St, Kliment Award” etc.) given to artists (by public competition) as a recognition for their life-time achievement.
The Ministry of Culture provides funding for the annual awards given by professional artists’ associations to their members for special achievements.
In 2008, the Ministry of Culture announced the introduction of a new category / the position of “national artist”. The title was reserved for the most significant artists as recognition of their contribution to the development and popularisation of Macedonian art and culture. The Law on National Artists was approved in 2011. The title was awarded by the President of the Republic, based on the proposal from the Minister of Culture. The title provides a lifelong monthly payment of 1 000 EUR and a monograph of his / her work to be published by the Ministry of Culture.
Another form of direct support to artists was the “national pension”, which was awarded to significant artists and experts in the protection of cultural heritage. The artists and experts who were awarded this lifelong national pension received the difference between their pension and the highest pension in the country.
However, having in mind the actual practice within the last decade, the new Government (2017) determined that these two new categories were a kind of political corruption to the artists and cultural workers enforced by the former government. The Ministry of Culture consequently annulled the laws in 2018.
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