Presidential Awards for Culture and Art are official honors awarded annually since 1995 by the Republic of Türkiye on behalf of the state to individuals and institutions distinguished for their services and contributions in the fields of culture, art, and science. The awards are given in areas such as literature, music, cinema, painting and visual arts, architecture, caricature, digital art, science, history, and culture.
Presidential Awards for Culture and Art, 25 December 2024 – (Anadolu Agency)
Legal Basis and Regulations
Initial Regulation (1995)
The Presidential Awards for Culture and Art were established by the “Regulation on the Presidential Award for Culture and Art” published in the Official Gazette No. 22177 on 20 January 1995. This regulation constituted the first legal text defining the purpose, scope, evaluation process, and ceremonial principles of the award.
The 1995 regulation stipulated that the awards be conferred by the state upon individuals and institutions that have contributed to Turkish cultural and artistic life through their services and works. During implementation, the regulation underwent various amendments, which led to the reorganization of:
- The duration of the Evaluation Board’s work,
- The announcement of award recipients during the Republic Day celebrations,
- The procedures for determining the time and location of the award ceremony.
Repeal of the 1995 Regulation
The legal framework governing the Presidential Awards for Culture and Art was revised with a new regulation published in the Official Gazette on 10 June 2020. As a result, the 1995 Presidential Award for Culture and Art Regulation was repealed.
Hence, all procedures and principles regarding the awarding of the prizes have since been conducted in accordance with the provisions of the new regulation replacing the previous one.
Current Regulation of 10 June 2020
The “Regulation on the Presidential Awards for Culture and Art” published in the Official Gazette on 10 June 2020 constitutes the current legal basis for the awards. Under this regulation:
- The awards may be conferred upon Turkish citizens as well as foreign nationals or institutions,
- The awards are conferred on behalf of the President of Türkiye,
- The Presidential Council for Culture and Art Policies serves as the Evaluation Board,
- The processes for candidate nomination, evaluation, and presidential approval are clearly defined,
- It is explicitly stated that individuals or institutions convicted of crimes against state security shall have their awards revoked.
Purpose and Scope of the Award
The purpose of the Presidential Awards for Culture and Art is to honor and encourage individuals and institutions that have made significant contributions to Turkish cultural, artistic, and scientific life through their services and works, on behalf of the state.
The scope of the award encompasses activities in the fields of culture, art, and science. According to the regulation, the awards are intended for individuals and institutions demonstrating exceptional ability through original works or services. The awards may be conferred upon both Turkish citizens and foreign nationals or institutions.
The Presidential Awards for Culture and Art are awarded only once to an individual or institution. Those who have previously received the award are not eligible for re-nomination. The nomination and evaluation processes are carried out in accordance with the procedures specified in the regulation.
The Presidential Awards for Culture and Art are announced annually during the Republic Day celebrations; the timing and venue of the award ceremony are determined by the President of Türkiye.
Evaluation Process
The evaluation responsibility for the Presidential Awards for Culture and Art is undertaken by the Presidential Council for Culture and Art Policies. The Council consists of its other members under the chairmanship of the Deputy Chair of the Council for Culture and Art Policies.
The Evaluation Board convenes two months before 29 October Republic Day. Meetings are conducted on the basis of simple majority. Decisions are adopted by the simple majority vote of members present. Voting is conducted by secret ballot.
Candidates are selected from among individuals and institutions that have contributed to Turkish cultural and artistic life through their services and works. The number of candidates determined by the Evaluation Board is limited to a minimum of five and a maximum of nine individuals or institutions.
The selected candidates are submitted to the President of Türkiye for approval. The individuals and institutions awarded the prize are finalized upon presidential approval and are officially announced to the public during the Republic Day celebrations.
Award Fields and Categories
The award fields are determined according to official lists published annually and the categories announced at the award ceremonies.
- Culture field: Awards for individuals and institutions producing works or services in the areas of history, cultural history, biography, memoirs, journalism, publishing, and cultural heritage studies.
- Literature field: Awards given to authors who produce works in the genres of novel, short story, essay, poetry, analysis, and literary research.
- Music field: Awards given to individual artists for performance, composition, education, and cultural transmission activities in Turkish music, classical music, and traditional music.
- Cinema field: Awards given to individuals for activities in production, direction, cinema education, archiving, and contributions to cinema culture.
- Painting and visual arts field: Awards for artists producing works in painting, plastic arts, and visual creation.
- Architecture field: Awards given to individuals for activities in architecture, restoration, urban culture, and architectural heritage studies.
- Caricature field: Awards for artists producing works in the field of line art and caricature.
- Digital art field: Awards given to artists producing works through computer technologies, new media, and digital production.
- Science field: Awards given to academics who produce original and translated works in theology, social sciences, history, and various academic research areas.
- Institutional awards: Awards given to foundations, museums, associations, and institutional structures active in the field of culture and art.
- Legacy awards: Awards conferred posthumously in the names of deceased individuals and presented to their representatives.
Presidential Awards for Culture and Art by Year
1995
- Adalet Ağaoğlu — Literature
- Burhan Doğançay — Culture and Art
- Şefika Kutluer — Music
1996
- Cahit Külebi — Literature
- Yekta Kara — Culture and Art
- Arif Sağ — Music
1997
- Turhan Selçuk — Great Art
- Ömer Lütfi Akad — Culture and Art
- Hayrettin Karaca — Culture and Art
1998
- İstanbul Kültür Sanat Vakfı — Culture and Art
- Yıldız Kenter — Cinema
- Fikret Otyam — Music
1999
- Turgut Özakman — Literature
- Rengim Gökmen — Culture and Art
- Nevzat Atlığ — Music
2005
- Oktay Akbal — Literature
- Halil İnalcık — History
- Ferruh Başağa — Culture and Art
- Ara Güler — Culture and Art
2008
- Yaşar Kemal — Literature
- Turgut Cansever — Architecture
- Alâeddin Yavaşca — Music
2009
- Uğur Derman — Traditional Arts
- Nuri Bilge Ceylan — Cinema
- Sakıp Sabancı Müzesi — Culture and Art Institution
2010
- Cemal Kafadar — History
- Ergin İnan — Painting
- İstanbul Modern — Culture and Art Institution
2011
- Semavi Eyice — Art History
- Sezai Karakoç — Literature
- Doğan Hızlan — Criticism
- Hasan Çelebi — Traditional Arts
2012
- Selim İleri — Literature
- Ahmet Hatipoğlu — Music
- Şükrü Hanioğlu — History
- Zeugma Ancient City and Museum — Archaeology
2013
- Fuat Sezgin — History of Islamic Science and Technology
- Daron Acemoğlu — Social Sciences
- İskender Pala — Literature
- Bekir Karlığa — Documentary
- Tarihi Kentler Birliği — Culture and Art Institution
- Ahmet Kaya — Music
2014
- Hülya Koçyiğit — Cinema
- Niyazi Sayın — Music
- Alev Alatlı — Literature
- Engin Akarlı — History
- Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı İslam Ansiklopedisi — Institution
2015
- Münir Özkul — Cinema
- Rasim Özdenören — Literature
- Orhan Gencebay — Music
- Mehmet Genç — Social Sciences and History
- Hüseyin Kutlu — Traditional Arts
- Cemil Meriç — Culture and Art Legacy Award
2016
- Şener Şen — Cinema
- Mustafa Kutlu — Literature
- Erol Parlak — Music
- Kemal Karpat — Social Sciences and History
- Feridun Özgören — Traditional Arts
- Süheyl Ünver — Culture and Art Legacy Award
2017
- İlber Ortaylı — Social Sciences and History
- Yavuz Turgul — Cinema
- Göksel Baktagir — Music
- Selahattin Kara — Painting
- Ali Toy — Traditional Arts
- Nurettin Topçu — Culture and Art Legacy Award
2018
- Mehmet İpşirli — Social Sciences and History
- Türker İnanoğlu — Cinema
- Erol Sayan — Music
- İzzet Keribar — Art / Photography
- Mehmet Âkif Ersoy — Culture and Art Legacy Award
2019
- Nuri Pakdil — Literature
- MFÖ Grubu — Music
- Mesut Uçakan — Cinema
- Devrim Erbil — Art
- Fuat Başar — Traditional Arts
- Doğan Kuban — Architecture
- Ahmet Yaşar Ocak — Social Sciences
- Ahmet Haluk Dursun — Legacy
2020
- Sadettin Ökten — Cultural History
- İsmail Kara — Social Sciences
- İbrahim Tenekeci — Literature
- Derviş Zaim — Cinema
- Özdemir Erdoğan — Music
- Mehmet Çebi — Collector
- Necmeddin Okyay — Legacy
2021
- Teoman Duralı — Science and Culture
- İbrahim Manav — Antiquarian Bookselling
- Gürbüz Azak — Literature
- Cüneyt Arkın — Cinema
- İdil Biret — Music
- Etem Çalışkan — Calligraphy
- Kemal Tahir — Legacy
- Alev Ebuzziya — Visual Arts
2022
- Âşık Veysel — Legacy
- Ajda Pekkan — Music
- Süleyman Saim Tekcan — Painting
- Yılmaz Erdoğan — Cinema
- Ayla Algan — Theater
- Hayrettin Karaman — Science and Culture
- Yavuz Bülent Bâkiler — Literature
- Varol Yaşaroğlu — Caricature and Animation
- Ömür & Yunus Emre Akkor — Gastronomy
- Tan Sağtürk — Dance and Ballet
- Hilmi Şenalp — Architecture
- Sevan Bıçakçı — Craft
- Gülbün Mesara — Traditional Arts
2023
- Süleyman Uludağ — Science
- Ali Birinci — Culture
- Emel Sayın — Music
- İlhami Atalay — Painting
- Hasan Aycın — Caricature
- Sami Şekeroğlu — Cinema
- Refik Anadol — Digital Art
- Sinan Genim — Architecture
2024
- Günay Kut — Science and Culture
- Gönül Tekin — Science and Culture
- Fatma Barbarosoğlu — Literature
- Ramazan Minder — Librarianship
- Ahmet Özhan — Music
- Göksel Arsoy — Cinema
- Turan Oflazoğlu — Theater
- Salih Balakbabalar — Crafts
- Halit Refiğ — Legacy
2025
- Süleyman Seyfi Öğün — Science and Culture
- Yalçın Gökçebağ — Painting
- Yalçın Tura — Music
- Fahri Işık — Anatolian Archaeology
- Ali Jadallah — Photography
- António Guterres — Atatürk International Peace Award
Legacy Awards
Within the framework of the Presidential Awards for Culture and Art, the Legacy Awards are conferred posthumously in the names of deceased individuals. These awards are presented to their representatives based on the contributions these individuals made to culture, art, and intellectual life.
Legacy Awards are announced annually as a separate category from other award categories and are officially declared during the award ceremonies. The awards are delivered to the representatives of the deceased individuals.
Some individuals who have received the Legacy Award include:
- Cemil Meriç — Culture and Art Legacy Award (2015)
- Süheyl Ünver — Culture and Art Legacy Award (2016)
- Nurettin Topçu — Culture and Art Legacy Award (2017)
- Mehmet Âkif Ersoy — Culture and Art Legacy Award (2018)
- Ahmet Haluk Dursun — Legacy (2019)
- Necmeddin Okyay — Legacy (2020)
- Kemal Tahir — Legacy (2021)
- Âşık Veysel — Legacy (2022)
- Halit Refiğ — Legacy (2024)
These awards are listed as a distinct category within the Presidential Awards for Culture and Art.
