Shevelov Prize established

The Ukrainian Center of the International PEN Club, the Kyiv Mohyla Business School (kmbs), the Dukh i Litera Publishers, and the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI) joined their forces to establish the Shevelov PEN Club Prize, litakcent.com reports, citing Tamara Hundorova’s posting on Facebook.

The prize will be bestowed annually on a Ukrainian recipient for artistic and scientific essays published over the year preceding the award decision. The intention is for the prize to celebrate its recipients’ contributions to promoting the essay genre’s essential values of thought independence and style elegance. The award’s name honors George Shevelov, the founder of the modern Ukrainian essay writing.

Three nominees will be announced on December 10, 2013, while the winner will be revealed at a solemn ceremony on December 17, Shevelov’s birthday. Future award ceremonies will be held on this day, too.

The winner will receive the Bronze Angel statuette, symbolizing the award, a cash prize and the winner’s diploma, while other nominees will receive nominee diplomas and a 10-volume collection of the Dukh i Litera’s publications.

The award committee includes literary critic, corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and fellow of the academy’s Institute of Literature Studies Tamara Hundorova, chapter secretary and member of the executive board of the Ukrainian Center of the International PEN Club Olha Hnatiuk, the HURI’s director Serhii Plokhii, vice-president of the Ukrainian Center of the International PEN Club Mykola Riabchuk, the director of Kyiv Mohyla Business School Oleksandr Savruk, member of the executive board of the Ukrainian Center of the International PEN Club Eleonora Solovei, and the Dukh i Litera’s editor-in-chief Leonid Finberg.

Candidates for the prize may be proposed by Ukrainian and foreign cultural institutions, research centers, art associations, and individuals. All proposals should be submitted by E-mail to [email protected] before November 30, 2013.