Shevchenko National Prize (also Shevchenko Award) is the highest state prize of Ukraine for works of culture and arts awarded since 1961. It is named after the inspirer of Ukrainian national revival Andriy Shevchenko. It is one of the five state prizes of Ukraine that are awarded for achievements in various fields.

History

In May 1961 the Soviet Union was honoring on a large scale the memory of Ukrainian Kobzar Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko. A century from the day of his death became the reason for conducting festive events not only in Ukraine, but throughout the Soviet Union. Thus, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union used the people's love for the great poet with goals of propaganda for "successes of Lenin National Policy" (such as the Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of Russia), but it had to consider the national sentiments of Ukrainian people. Such atmosphere contributed to that on May 20, 1961 the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR issued a resolution "About establishing annual Shevchenko Republican Prize". At the same time there was adopted the Provision on prizes and examples of honoring badges with diplomas for laureates; also there was established a government committee headed by Oleksiy Korniychuk, which consisted along with the party's officials prominent figures of Ukrainian culture. It was awarded to the prominent performers of literature, arts, music, theater, cinematography, architecture, and others. The first laureates received the Prize on March 9, 1962. They were Pavlo Tychyna (recent speaker of Verkhovna Rada) and Oleksandr Honchar in literature, and Platon Mayboroda in music. As of April 23, 1969 the award was renamed the Shevchenko State Prize of Ukrainian SSR. By the order of the President of Ukraine #800/2000 on June 22, 2000 the award became known as the Shevchenko National Prize. From 1962 to 2018 the award was given to 648 people and eight collective ensembles.

Statute of the Award

The National Prize is awarded annually by the order of the President of Ukraine. There are up to five prizes in the following nominations: A special committee is elected to organize a concourse in three stages. Once decided the names of the candidates are forwarded to the State Committee of Awards and Heraldry that petitions them to the President. The awarded are paid by the committee an amount the size of which is identified annually by the President. The monetary award of the prize for 2009 was ₴160,000 for each prize. For comparison, in 2008 the prize money amounted to ₴130,000 which was equivalent to $25,000+. The first award in 1962 was given along with 2,500 roubles. The monetary award of the prize in 2010 was confirmed at ₴130,000 which by 40,000 less than the last year (implying that it was ₴170,000). The Party of Regions spokesperson Hanna Herman commented that the funds were awarded only that one that were already on the Shevchenko's Fund]. Shevchenko lived modestly, lived in need, and to buy him out of serfdom the Russian Intelligentsia collected 2,500 roubles - she added.

Special conditions

The works that seek the National Prize are presented by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Ukraine, the Ukrainian National Academy of Science, the Ukrainian Academy of Arts, the Ukrainian artistic unions, and the Ukrainian literally and artistically critical associations. It may be awarded to the citizens of Ukraine as well as foreigners. The literary and artistic works that reached the third stage can be nominated for the second time, but no more than two times. The special committee accepts all the works for the National Prize starting the following year from August 1 to November 1 of the current year. The collective authors of a presented work cannot exceed three persons, no more than five for a collective of performers. The participants that performed any administrative, organizational, or counseling functions cannot be included among the laureates. The National Prize is awarded to an author or a performer only once in the lifetime.

Discontinued nominations

Field of cinematography

During its history the prize was additionally awarded for featured films (until introduction of the Dovzhenko State Prize in 1994).

Politics

On occasion it was awarded in 1964 on political basis to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of USSR Nikita Khrushchev.

Architecture

Before introduction of the State Prize of Ukraine in Architecture in 1991, the Schevchenko National Prize was awarded for architecture as well: