Record Number of Nominations and Winners for Ukraine's 2025 Shevchenko National Prize

2025 Taras Shevchenko National Prize Announced

According to Главком: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a decree awarding the Taras Shevchenko National Prize for 2025. This year is historic, marking the highest number of award nominations in the prize's 65-year history. The monetary value of the prize is set at 484,480 Ukrainian hryvnias. Decrees No. 552/2025 and No. 553/2025, signed last year to commemorate the award's 65th anniversary, amended its statutes, notably expanding the number of eligible categories to thirteen. The Shevchenko Prize is Ukraine's highest state honor for cultural and artistic achievement, akin to a national Pulitzer or Booker Prize.

The prize is awarded for works published within the last five years, but no later than six months before nomination. For creative curatorship, the author of a project realized within the last five years may be nominated. However, monographic scientific research, textbooks, manuals, and album-catalogues are not eligible for consideration.

2025 Shevchenko National Prize Laureates

The winners of the 2025 Shevchenko National Prize across various categories are:

• Prose:
  • Pavlo Bilyansky for the novel 'One Cannot Fight, One Cannot Retreat'
  • Yuriy Shcherbak for the book 'Dead Memory. Voices and Cries'
• Literary Studies and Art History: Serhiy Trymbach for the book 'Ivan Mykolaichuk. Mysteries of Fate'
• Journalism and Publicism: Oleh Kryshtopa for the documentary novel 'Radio 'Aphrodita''
• Musical Art:
  • Mariana Pyrozhka, Oleksandra Drachuk, and Markiyan Turkanyk (the band 'Pirog i Batig') for the music album 'The Murdered. First Peal'
  • Oleksiy Skrypnyk (composer) for the choral concert 'Catharsis' and Symphony No. 3 'Halyna'
• Concert and Performance Art: Yuliya Tkach (conductor) for the media project 'One Step to Victory' and the art cycles 'Figures', 'Meeting of Epochs', concert programs, and archival recordings from 2020-2025
• Theatrical Art: Oksana Dmitriyeva (director) for the plays 'Nativity Scene', 'Giraffe Mons', 'The Tempest', 'Medea'
• Cinematic Art: Pavlo Ostrikov (screenwriter, director) for the film 'You Are the Cosmos'
• Visual Arts:
  • Nazar Bilyk for the 'Memorial to Ukrainian Intelligence Officers' and the series of sculptures 'Disturbed Space', 'Alloy'
• Photographic Art: Olena Grom for the photo project 'Stolen Spring'
• Decorative and Applied Art: Ihor Matsiyevsky (master of artistic glass) for the art project 'Born in Fire'
• Design:
  • Vladyslav Korniyenko, Illya Pavеlets, and Ivan Hrabko for the project of the cultural and artistic public space of the National Circus of Ukraine 'MM'
  • Volodymyr Stasenko for the project 'Human. Identification by War'
• Creative Curation of Cultural and Artistic Projects: Valeriy Sakharuk (curator) for the cultural and artistic project '30x30. Contemporary Ukrainian Art'

The new prize statutes now provide for 13 distinct categories:

• Prose
• Poetry
• Literary Studies and Art History
• Journalism and Publicism
• Musical Art
• Concert and Performance Art
• Theatrical Art
• Cinematic Art
• Visual Arts
• Photographic Art
• Decorative and Applied Art
• Design
• Creative Curation of Cultural and Artistic Projects

The Taras Shevchenko National Prize is a cornerstone cultural event in Ukraine, honoring excellence across the arts and literature. The expansion of categories reflects the growing diversity and dynamism of Ukrainian culture, even amidst the profound challenges of war. The award underscores the vital role of artists in shaping national identity and resilience during this critical period.