Awards Season
On the eve of Independence Day the League of Ukrainian Philanthropists according to tradition held an awards ceremony for the laureates of four prizes simultaneously.
The festivities were hosted by the Kyiv Teachers’ House which the organizers prefer to call its historical name, the Central Rada. The Volodymyr Svidzynsky Literary Prize founded by the League of Philanthropists and Kyiv magazine is awarded for new works, which became “a noticeable phenomenon in contemporary Ukrainian poetry.” This year’s winner Volodymyr Zabashtansky was a man of heroic fate and sublime lyricism. The poet lost his eyesight and both hands when he was still young, but this did not prevent him from developing his talent to the full. The prize was awarded to Mr. Zabashtansky for his Golden Keys and Brayiliv Ballads poetic series. Unfortunately, the poet did not live to see the ceremony, thus the prize amounting 2,500 hryvnias was given his wife, Olha Vasylivna.
The Borys Necherda Prize founded by the League of Philanthropists, Kyiv magazine, and the Odesa branch of the National Writers Union of Ukraine is awarded for “original artistic discoveries and introducing new pathways for Ukrainian poetry.” Its latest laureates are Tetiana Dziuba and Ivan Andrusiak for Accommodation in Time and Returning to Galapagos Islands respectively. Each winner received 1,500 hryvnias.
The Dmytro Nytchenko prize founded by the League of Philanthropists and the poet’s family is intended for those propagating Ukrainian book. Nytchenko (Dmytro Nitsenko’s nom de plume) was a renowned writer, critic, pedagogue, and philanthropist. Living in Australia, he wrote, reviewed, propagated, and even sold Ukrainian books. The range of this prize winners can be very broad: from journalists and publishers to booksellers and philanthropists. Among the winners of the Nytchenko prize of 2002 are Mykola Kolodka, head of the Canadian-Ukrainian Library Project; Mykola Serhiychuk, Canadian church and public figure; Valentyna Kainaru, deputy director of Sumy school No. 25; Ihor Kotsiubynsky, director of the Chernihiv Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky Museum-Preserve, and many others. Each of them obtained 1,000 hryvnias. Natalia Dziubenko and Mykhailo Zabliuk also presented their books to the League of Philanthropists amounting in price to the sum of their award.
The Yevhen Chykalenko Prize distributed at the Writers’ Union of Ukraine is awarded for “selfless charitable activity favoring national revival in Ukraine.” This year’s laureates are Stanley Peterson (Canada), Father Ivan Shevtsiv (Australia), and Volodymyr Berseniev (Ukraine). The latter is director of the Institute for Pain Problems, neuropathologist, and author of a number of monographs and textbooks. The Institute has rehabilitated for active life over 30,000 patients. Dr. Berseniev buys much of the medicine at his own expense.
