Kyiv State Operetta Theater recently hosted the ceremony of naming the winners of the All-Ukraine “Word Coronation” contest, involving authors of novels, movie scripts, and plays. The contest was founded by Craft Foods Ukraine Co. and TV Channel 1+1.
The contest has existed for six years and received some 7,000 manuscripts (1,500 this year) from almost all regions of Ukraine, also from Poland, Hungary, Russia, and Canada. A total of 55 novels have come off the presses, along with a collection of movie scripts, in collaboration with 1+1, by the winning authors of recent years.
This year’s “Word Coronation” served as additional proof that this contest is gaining in scope and momentum, among other things due to its prestigious jury made up of film director Oles Sanin, stage directors Oleksiy Kuzhelny, Vitaliy Malakhov, Dmytro Bohomazov; actors Fedir Stryhun and Bohdan Beniuk; writer Andriy Kurkov; Molodist Festival manager Andriy Khalpakhchi; TV hostess Olha Herasymiuk; literary critic Mykola Zhulynsky; publishers Vitaliy and Dmytro Kapranov. Also, before naming the winners (the works were submitted by authors using pseudonyms), the publishers decided who would publish which work. Last but not least, the royalties were tangibly increased. At present, the first prize costs 15-20 thousand hryvnias; the second one, 7-10 thousand, and the third one, 3-5 thousand (depending on the genre nomination). Each laureate will receive a thousand hryvnias. The contest’s purse totals 95,000 hryvnias.
As it was, Igor Negrescu’s Vechernia [Vespers] won the first prize in the movie script standing (he is the author of children’s film scripts such as “Midnight Vagabonds,” “Domino,” “Dymka”). Ihor Kozyr’s “Don’t Hurt Your President” won the second prize, and the third one went to Valentyn Tarasov’s “Captive” (he is a director with the Inter TV channel and won the plays’ nomination last year). This year the winning playwrights were Andriy Rushkovsky and Serhiy Kyseliov with their “Jewish Clock,” Larysa Didenko’s “St. Nicholas’ Path,” and Artem Vyshnevsky’s “Apropos Clothes, Suitcases, Garbage, and Other Things.” For many members of the jury the conferring of the first and second prizes on Andriy Kokotiukha’s novels “Dark Waters” and “The Zoo — or Children’s Admittance Under 16 Years of Age Banned” came as a surprise, for both work are markedly different in style, so much so few could guess they were written by the same author. Roman Kostenko’s “Myth” won the third prize.
Yuriy Lohush must be only too well aware that Ukrainian culture should be supported by business under the circumstances. Even though “Word Coronation” is a pain in his neck, to a degree, requiring certain efforts every year, it is his contribution to the construction of the Ukrainian state. This contest is mean as an example to be emulated by businessmen who talk much about the development of culture, but do little to this end, apart from their private business endeavors. Olha Herasymiuk said that the 1+1 Channel has always welcomed the Word Coronation, because it means that there is a responsible line of business in Ukraine.
