2026 Presidential Culture and Arts Awards Name Six Honourees

The 2026 Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Awards have been announced in Türkiye. According to Sabah, the winners are Sabri Koz, Prof. Dr. İlhami Turan, Sibel Eraslan, Burçak Evren and Prof. Dr. Gönül Paçacı. The Vefa Award goes to Ahmed-i Hani.

Sabah says the list comes from an image in a post on President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s social media account. The report does not mention a ceremony date.

Who Won the Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Awards

Each name is linked to a field, and the list covers science, traditional arts, literature, cinema and music.

• Science and culture: Sabri Koz
• Traditional arts: Prof. Dr. İlhami Turan
• Literature: Sibel Eraslan
• Cinema: Burçak Evren
• Music: Prof. Dr. Gönül Paçacı
• Vefa Award: Ahmed-i Hani

Erdoğan thanked the honourees for what he called their unique contributions to the country. He also remembered Ahmed-i Hani with mercy, a phrase used in Turkish for someone who has died.

Who Ahmed-i Hani Was

Vefa means loyalty or faithfulness in Turkish. Here it marks an honour for a figure from the past rather than a living artist. Sabah’s report does not describe the award’s rules, so we do not set out any criteria.

Ahmed-i Hani was a 17th-century Kurdish scholar and poet. He is best known for the epic poem Mem û Zîn, which remains a landmark of Kurdish literature. Sabah’s report does not describe his work, so this background comes from general literary history.

What the Awards Mean for Culture Readers

The cinema category is the one most relevant to viewers of Turkish productions. Sabah names Burçak Evren as the winner but gives no details about his career or the reasons for the choice. We will not add claims about his work until they are confirmed.

Further details on the selection and the ceremony should come from official announcements. Until then, the six names above are the only confirmed content of the report.

Source: Sabah
Featured image: Sabah