Director of the Kharkiv Literary Museum Tetiana Pylypchuk became the winner of the Vasyl Stus Prize in 2024. The award ceremony took place in Kyiv, UNN reports.
"We are making history and we must include our personal lives in something bigger, in a larger story that began long before us and will not end with us. It won't end if we choose not to be afraid and continue it, our Ukrainian history," says the laureate.
Tetiana Pylypchuk is the director of the Kharkiv Literary Museum and a researcher of Ukrainian literature of the 1920s and 1930s. In 2022-2024, she curated the Fifth Kharkiv Festival, and since 2021, she has been organizing the work of the Kharkiv Art Residence Slovo. Tetiana also does volunteer work and delivers books to the de-occupied territories.
The laureate considers the award to be not only hers, but also that of the entire museum staff.
"A museum is not about one person. A museum emerges where there is an environment, where there is a community. A museum emerges where there is this daily work and love for our memory. That's why I'm very grateful to our team at the Kharkiv Literary Museum, because this is our common reward.", - shared Tetiana Pylypchuk.
The statuette awarded to the laureate was created by designer Dmitry Pokrasenov and sculptor Stanislav Kadochnikov. The award ceremony was hosted by journalist and presenter Vadym Karpiak.
The event also featured the 1991 Vasyl Stus Prize winner Maria Burmaka, who performed songs based on dissident poems.
The Vasyl Stus Prize is one of the oldest Ukrainian cultural awards. In 1989, it was founded by the Ukrainian Association of Independent Creative Intelligentsia headed by Yevhen Sverstiuk. Since 2016, PEN Ukraine, Kyiv Mohyla Business School and Dukh i Litera Publishing House have continued this initiative.
The award is given annually to authors (writers, artists, filmmakers, musicians, cultural managers), regardless of their place of residence, for a lifetime, for a special contribution to Ukrainian culture and strong civic position. Three months before the awarding ceremony, each jury member nominates one candidate.
The jury considers all the nominees in two stages. At the first stage, a long list of candidates is formed by rating. At the second stage, the winner is determined by anonymous voting, based on a simple majority of votes.