Shevchenko National Prize

たらす・しぇふちぇんこきねんこくみんしょう

Ukraine's highest state prize for achievements in culture and the arts, established in 1961 and awarded annually in multiple categories.

Literature (fiction / artistic)Literature (non-fiction / documentary / critical)Journalism and narrative journalismPerforming arts (theatre, music, others)Other arts (folk and visual)Music artsTheatre artsVisual artsCinematography (historically)Architecture (historically)

Established: 1961
Organizer: Committee for the National Prize of Ukraine named after Taras Shevchenko; awarded by decree of the President of Ukraine
Category: Plays, Scripts, and Screenplays
Selection Method: Recommendation
Target: Professional
Frequency: 1 per year
Application Deadline: around November
Announcement Period: around March
Status: Active

Description

The Shevchenko National Prize (Національна премія України імені Тараса Шевченка) is the highest state award of Ukraine for outstanding works in literature, arts, journalism and performing arts. Established in 1961 and first awarded in 1962, it is named after the poet Taras Shevchenko. The prize is awarded annually (by Presidential decree) in several nominations — up to five prizes across categories — and laureates receive a monetary award (amount set annually by the President), a medal and a diploma. Nominations are submitted by designated institutions (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, National Academy of Sciences, Ukrainian Academy of Arts, artistic unions, literary and critical associations). A special committee organizes the competition in multiple stages and forwards candidates to the State Committee of Awards and Heraldry and then to the President for final approval.

Prize

Main Prize: Medal, diploma and an annually determined monetary award. Up to five prizes are awarded each year across the nominations; the monetary amount is set each year by the President of Ukraine.
Cash Prize: 397,000 UAH

Medal (Shevchenko prize badge)
Diploma
Award by Presidential decree
Public recognition / award ceremony
If multiple laureates share a prize, the monetary award may be split according to rules

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Stage 1 — Submission & eligibility check	Special committee appointed for the contest; submissions are presented by eligible institutions (Ministry of Culture, National Academy of Sciences, Ukrainian Academy of Arts, artistic unions, literary/critical associations).	—	Accepted works forwarded to the special committee; eligible entries are advanced to expert review.
Stage 2 — Expert review and shortlist	Field-specific experts and members of the special committee review submissions and produce a shortlist.	—	Shortlisted candidates are forwarded to the State Committee of Awards and Heraldry.
Stage 3 — Final selection and presidential approval	State Committee of Awards and Heraldry and the special committee; final laureates are approved by the President of Ukraine.	—	Winners are announced and awarded by Presidential decree; committee publications and press releases follow.

Stage 1 — Submission & eligibility check

Judges Special committee appointed for the contest; submissions are presented by eligible institutions (Ministry of Culture, National Academy of Sciences, Ukrainian Academy of Arts, artistic unions, literary/critical associations).

Announcement Accepted works forwarded to the special committee; eligible entries are advanced to expert review.

Stage 2 — Expert review and shortlist

Judges Field-specific experts and members of the special committee review submissions and produce a shortlist.

Announcement Shortlisted candidates are forwarded to the State Committee of Awards and Heraldry.

Stage 3 — Final selection and presidential approval

Judges State Committee of Awards and Heraldry and the special committee; final laureates are approved by the President of Ukraine.

Announcement Winners are announced and awarded by Presidential decree; committee publications and press releases follow.

Criteria

Artistic and/or literary merit and originality
Cultural significance and contribution to Ukrainian culture
Professional recognition and quality of execution
Relevance to nomination category (literature, journalism, performing arts, visual arts, etc.)
Presentation/endorsement by eligible nominating institutions

Application Tips

Dos

Have the work formally presented by an eligible nominating organization (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, National Academy of Sciences, Ukrainian Academy of Arts, artistic unions or recognized literary/critical associations).
Submit within the official submission window (August 1 – November 1 of the current year).
Provide clear documentation, endorsements and supporting materials that demonstrate artistic merit and cultural significance.
If a collective work, ensure the number of authors/performers does not exceed limits (collective authors ≤ 3; collective performers ≤ 5).
Confirm eligibility (citizenship rules, previous laureateship: an author/performer may receive the prize only once).

Don''ts

Do not submit directly if you are not an eligible nominatory body — submissions must come from designated organizations.
Do not include administrative, organizational or advisory personnel among proposed laureates.
Do not exceed the specified limits for collective authorship or performers.
Do not expect the prize to be awarded more than once to the same individual (the prize is lifetime-limited).

From Judges

Emphasize originality, high artistic or scholarly quality, and clear contribution to Ukrainian culture when preparing submissions.
Provide strong institutional endorsements and complete documentation to facilitate expert evaluation.
Demonstrate the work's impact, reception and relevance to its field (reviews, performances, exhibitions, publications).
If previously submitted and reaching the third stage, note that works may be nominated again but no more than twice.