Umai national award finalists announced

ASTANA. KAZINFORM The names of the finalists of the first Umai National Award, established by the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, became known on December 16, the Independence Day of Kazakhstan. Astana Opera, which became the venue for the award, reported that the organizing committee received 439 applications from the contestants, of which 76 people made it to the final, the press office of Astana Opera reported.

The names of the finalists have already been published on the opera house’s official website. The next step will be the members of the panel of experts selecting the winners from among the finalists. The ceremony of presenting the Umai National Award will take place at Astana Opera on December 23. It is known that the winners will receive the coveted statuette from the Minister of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan Dauren Abayev.

It is worth noting that the value of the Umai Award is really significant. It is an equivalent to the Tony Awards in the USA. At the award ceremony, the audience will have an extensive show program with many special effects, at the end of which the names of the winners will be announced.

Despite the fact that the competition is being held for the first time, its scale exceeded all expectations. Artists from all regions of our country showed a lot of engagement. It is important that in the Year of Children, a lot of applications were received from contestants for the Umai special prize, which will be awarded for the best children’s performance.

The audience will have an opportunity to see some of the works that will be presented during the ceremony.

As a reminder, the main prize, the Umai statuette is the author’s work of Armat Bektas, a sought-after painter in the artistic field. His creative work is inextricably linked with symbols and signs. The painter strives for art to be national in form and universal in content. In addition, the exclusive statuette also has a material value. It is cast in bronze, and its base is a green plate inlaid with stones.

The award will be backed by a money certificate. The total prize fund amounted to 54 million tenge. The winners of the nominations (each of which has its own prizes) will receive 2 million tenge. These are: Theatrical Art, Musical and Performing Arts, Choreographic Art, Fine and Decorative and Applied Arts. 10 million tenge will be given to creative teams – winners in the nominations Best Musical and Dramatic Performance, Best Ballet Performance. 2 million tenge for a special prize dedicated to the Year of Children in Kazakhstan – Best Children’s Performance.