Ceremony of the Volodymyr Malyk Literary and Arts Award Held

On February 21st, the literary and arts award ceremony named after Volodymyr Malyk took place at the Lubny Art School. The event traditionally coincided with International Mother Language Day and the birthday of our outstanding compatriot, Volodymyr Malyk, whose name is forever etched in the annals of Ukrainian and Lubny history.

For 24 consecutive years, the award bearing the name of Volodymyr Malyk has been recognizing the best of the best in the Lubny region: writers, literary figures, scholars, journalists, educators, cultural and public figures, and government officials who glorify Ukraine, its traditions, customs, and cultural heritage through the native word.

This year’s celebrations gathered representatives of the authorities, guests of our region, creative Lubny residents, and the public in the art school hall to congratulate the laureates and diploma recipients of the award, its nominees, to rejoice in their achievements, and to hear how, through persistent work and creative endeavors, each of them pursued their set goal.

Approximately thirty creative works were submitted for consideration by the jury. These are profound, worthy works.

The presenters announced the winners and invited them to the stage. In the nomination “Literature and Journalism,” the victory was awarded to:

• Oleksandr Cherkasky – a contemporary Ukrainian literary figure, writer-intellectual, folklorist, ethnographer for the book “Vinegret with Pepper” and the story “First Flight”;
• Iryna Vlasenko from Kyiv – writer, author of 14 books for the books “Deep Rivers Flow Silently,” “Flower,” “Wave,” “Music of the Wind,” “Fugitive Todos,” “Simon,” “Last Life.”
• Oleksandr Kurys from Kyiv – Ukrainian prose writer-novelist, public figure for the novel trilogy “The Path of the Wind.”

The award ceremony for the winners or their representatives (as not everyone could attend in person due to old age or long distances) was conducted by the Mayor of Lubny, Oleksandr Hrytsaenko. He congratulated the diploma recipients, laureates, and nominees on their significant personal achievements in creative life. The head of the jury noted that all the presented works are exceptionally powerful. And their geography is extremely wide – including the Poltava, Ternopil, Khmelnytsky, Donetsk, Odesa, and Kyiv regions.

“The memory of Volodymyr Malyk, his work, which is loved and respected by the residents of Lubny, unites and rallies all of us, teaches us to love the native word. And, no matter how difficult it is, creative individuals share their talent with ordinary Ukrainians in the conditions of war, helping them not to lose their strength of spirit.”

In the nomination “Local Lore and Folk Art,” the following were recognized:

• Mykhailo Zadorozhny – for the book “Our Soloshine. From Antiquity to the Present,”
• The collective of the Ternopil Regional Universal Scientific Library – for the bibliographic index “Volodymyr Hnatiuk: folklorist, ethnographer, literary critic;
• Vasyl Holosnyk and Yuriy Kharevich for the historical and local history essay “The Land of Abandoned Settlements”;
• Kateryna Gurska from Khmelnytsky region for the monograph “Novokostyantynivshchyna on the Bug.”

The head of the regional Volodymyr Malyk “Slovo” Foundation, the son of the outstanding writer, and the deputy head of the jury, Oleksandr Sychenko, shook hands and presented the awards to the diploma recipients and laureates in this nomination.

“I am sincerely grateful to everyone. The nomination is very strong. It was difficult to choose, because the works are special, and the authors’ creative vision is extraordinary,” – noted Oleksandr Sychenko.

In the nomination “Art and Monumental Sculpture,” the audience greeted the winners with applause:

• Veronika Gordilova for her creative work in the style of Petrykivka painting;
• Dmytro Denysenko with a creative work in the technique of carving ostrich shells “Rizblenka”;
• The academic chamber choir “Brevis” (artistic word – laureate of all-Ukrainian and international competitions Andriy Olenin, choirmaster – Ivan Bobitko, conductor – Honored Artist of Ukraine Svyatoslav Dunets) of the Ternopil Regional Philharmonic for the historical oratorio “The Winds Are Blowing.”

Awards in this nomination were presented by the Head of the Department of Culture and Arts of the Executive Committee of the Lubny City Council, Yuriy Lytovchenko.

He expressed admiration for all the works of the diploma recipients and laureates, emphasizing that the literary and arts award brings together the most talented Ukrainians.

Other participants of the competition were awarded with certificates of appreciation.

The ceremony featured sincere Ukrainian words and good wishes to the guests of the Lubny region.

The folk amateur quartet “Hileya” of the Center of Culture and Leisure, a branch of Mykhnivskyi SBY (leader Larysa Suprun), the ensemble of guitarists “Kvarta” of the Lubny School of Arts (leader Larysa Potenko) delighted lovers of Ukrainian culture with their performances.

The fiery dances of the folk dance ensemble “Yunist” of the Center of Culture and Leisure (leader Anatoliy Tsaryuk) were colorful and unforgettable for the guests of the Lubny region.

The sincere Ukrainian song, presented by Anatoliy Kutsenko, invigorated the audience. And the student of the Lubny School of Arts, Anna Khomenko, with the musical composition “Ukraine is One” together with the folk dance ensemble “Yunist” ignited the hearts of those present in the hall with optimism and faith in a peaceful Ukrainian sky.

The award ceremony concluded. Diploma recipients, laureates, nominees, artists in love with their native culture, continued to communicate in the foyer, got acquainted with book exhibitions presented by the Public Library named after Volodymyr Malyk, branch No. 1 Lubny City Library for Adults named after Volodymyr Leontovich, dedicated to the life and creative path of the Ukrainian Dumas – Volodymyr Malyk, which unites talented Ukrainians year after year, gathering them in the Lubny community. It was also possible to get acquainted in more detail with the creative works of this year’s winners of the literary and art prize.

So, until new meetings, talented Ukrainians! Love and promote the native word, as Volodymyr Kyrylovych Malyk cherished it!