The National Shevchenko Prize is the oldest annual award for writers, artists and artists groups for extraordinary achievements in different branches of culture. The Shevchenko Prize Committee receives applications from organisations and initiatives and declares its decision at the beginning of each year, before T. Shevchenko’s anniversary on 9 March. Among other literature prizes there are: the Ukrainian Book of the Year, the state literature prize of the President of Ukraine established in 2009, Lesia Ukrainka Prize of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for books for children and youth, established in 1970 and revised in 2004, Koronatsiya Slova (Coronation of a Word), a non-governmental contest established in 1998 by the company Kraft Foods Ukraine, the BBC Book of the Year, a prize existing since 2005 and founded by the BBC, LitAkcent of the Year, a prize founded by the web-portal http://www.litakcent.com/, the Joseph Conrad-Korzeniowski prize established in 2007 by the Polish Institute in Ukraine, and the Antonovych award established in 1980 by the International Foundation of Omelian and Tetiana Antonovych (founded by renowned Ukrainian philanthropist Omelian Antonovych (1914-2008), prizes of publishing houses (for example the publishing house Smoloskyp), the National Writers’ Union awards and others.
There are also awards for special branches of culture given by the Ministry of Culture and the artists’ unions. Prizes are also awarded by banks, private foundations and individuals. The Ministry of Culture also grants the title of Honoured or Popular Artist of Ukraine to outstanding artists and cultural workers.
According the Presidential Edict On Scholarships of the President of Ukraine to Young Artisans (2011, with amendments 2016), 80 artists representing different traditional arts: pottery, ceramics, embroidery, wood-carving, weaving, painting, puppeteering, etc., received scholarships in 2017. The budget of the Ministry of Culture set aside a special item in the amount of UAH 1 341 000 (48 400 EUR) for this purpose.
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