Abai State Prize will not be awarded this year

The Abai State Prize will not be awarded this year. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.

According to the Ministry of Culture and Information, the final meeting of the commission for awarding the Abai State Prize in the field of literature and art for 2026 was held under the chairmanship of Vice President Yerlan Karin.

At the meeting, Minister of Culture and Information Arman Kyrykbaev delivered a report on the results of public discussion of the works that advanced to the second stage of the competition.

The commission members, composed of respected representatives of the intelligentsia, reviewed 7 works submitted in the fields of literature, music, theater and fine arts.

“As a result of the vote, the commission members could not reach a common decision on the submitted works. In this regard, the Abai State Prize will not be awarded this year,” the ministry said.

The meeting also proposed revising the conditions for evaluating works, improving mechanisms for expert support and systematizing competitive selection procedures.