Hermine Avagyan and Felix Bakhchinyan won the coveted first prize in poetry and narrative respectively during the latest edition of the art and literature award established last year by His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan, Prelate, in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Nerses the Great Charitable and Social Organization in Yerevan. The art awards were presented earlier in the week.
The awards ceremony, held at the Writers’ Union of Armenia hall on Tuesday, June 25, marked a significant milestone as the award enters its second year. Under the theme “For the Perpetuity of the Armenian People,” the prize attracted a large pool of highly qualified entrants, underscoring Archbishop Anoushavan’s dedication to nurturing Armenian cultural heritage through literary and artistic patronage. In poetry, the second and third prizes went to Vahan Andreasyan and Haik Sirunyan, with runner-up recognition shared by Susanna Sayatyan and Robert Esayan. In the category of narrative, Gurgen Khanjian took the second prize and Berjuhi Avedian the third, with Alisa Hovhannisyan as runner-up. In the children-youth category, the first prize remained vacant, and the second prize was shared by Samvel Kosyan and Narine Kroyan. Antranik Karapetian received the third prize and Satenik Ghazarian was runner-up.
WUA President Edvard Militonyan expressed profound gratitude to Archbishop Anoushavan for spearheading the contest, which is co-sponsored by the Writers’ Union.
The awards were presented by writer and film critic Davit Muradyan, who served as the president of the jury. Mr. Militonyan invited Dr. Vartan Matiossian, Prelacy Executive Director and also a member of the Writers’ Union, to speak on behalf of the Prelacy. Dr. Matiossian said that the interests of Archbishop Anoushavan, a scholar of Armenian Studies, extend beyond the religious and charitable fields, and his keen interest in Armenian culture inspired him to sponsor this initiative, aimed at fostering literary creation in the homeland. Satenik Ghazarian, winner of the first prize in the category of children-youth literature last year, approached Dr. Matiossian at end of the ceremony to present him with a copy of the prize-winning book, which Ms. Ghazarian published with the funds provided by the award.
Plans are now underway to publish a compilation of the winning works from both this year and last, promising to further enrich Armenia’s literary legacy under the Prelate’s continued stewardship.
Artistic Excellence Recognized
Prelacy Prizes in Painting, Graphic Design, and Sculpture were awarded on Friday, June 21, at the Yerevan Academy of Fine Arts, which co-sponsored the event, with top honors going to Davit Sahakyan, Adelina Mikayelian, and Aghvan Sahakyan in the respective categories.
A booklet featuring last year’s prize-winning works has been published. The competition aims to nurture the talents of the Academy’s students and inspire them to become the future leaders of Armenian art. An exhibition of all submissions was open to the public from June 14 to 21.
Dr. Matiossian, on behalf of the Eastern Prelacy, presented the prizes to the winners, chosen by a jury of four Academy faculty members.
In painting, the second prize was awarded to Areg Vahramyan and the third prize to Arman Vardanyan. Elen Ohanjanyan was the runner-up. In Graphic Design, Marianna Kocharyan and Sona Jarahian took the second and third places, and Yelena Yeghiazaryan was runner-up. In sculpture, the second prize went to Vahe Yeghiazaryan and the third to Narek Stepanyan, with Artur Avagyan the runner-up.
Jury chair Aram Isabekian, Academy rector Dr. Vardan Azatyan, and Dr. Matiossian praised the works and emphasized the importance of the initiative in promoting the creative talents of Armenian youth.