Culture-Arts Awards winners announced

The Presidential Culture and Grand Awards of 2014 will be presented to actress Gönül Ülkü Özcan, elegy performer Celal Yilmaz, lyricist Beşir Ayvazoğlu and the Kubbealtı Academy Culture and Arts Foundation, Culture and Tourism Minister Ömer Çelik has announced.

The awards are distributed by the state to Turkish and foreign artists and institutions that contribute and honor Turkish culture and art.

The recipients of the awards are selected by a jury in accordance with the Culture and Tourism Ministry Awards Regulations, said Çelik, adding that the committee of Culture and Tourism Ministry Undersecretary Professor Haluk Dursun, Deputy Undersecretary Sefer Yılmaz, Fine Arts General Director Murat Salim Tokaç, Foreign Ministry representative Oya Tunga Çağlı, Professor Ümit Meriç, Professor Tansel Türkdoğan, Professor Hayati Develi and Professor Mehmet Kalpaklı selected this year's recipients on Dec. 22.

"Ayvazoğlu, whose many literary works, especially his biographical works, have been published in many magazines, and the Kubbealtı Academy Culture and Arts Foundation, which has pioneered the publication of hundreds of literary works and organized international symposiums on language, architecture and literature, are among this year's recipients. We congratulate all of them," Çelik said.

Özcan founded the Gönül Ülkü-Gazanfer Özcan Theater in 1962 with her late husband, actor Gazanfer Özcan. Since then they have continued their activities. The couple performed together in the drama "Kuruntu Ailesi" for 16 years.

Lyricist Ayvazoğlu has taught Turkish and literature at various high schools. He is the author of the book Aşk Estetiği (The Aesthetics of Divine Love). He has also written poetry, essays, biographies, literary analyses...