October 23, 20263 min read

Awards' ceremony of the the Fourth International Theatre Festival of TURKSOY held in Andijan

The Fourth International Theatre Festival of TURKSOY held in Uzbekistan within the framework of events to celebrate Andijan, the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2026 ended with a grand closing event and awards ceremony at the Musical Drama Theatre of Andijan.

Organised in cooperation of TURKSOY with the Ministry of Culture of Uzbekistan and the Regional Administration of Andijan between October 19th-22nd, 2026, the festival featured theatre ensembles from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the event, TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev thanked the President of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Culture and the Regional Administration of Andijan for their support in organising the festival. Highlighting the hospitality of the Uzbek people and their interest in arts, Secretary General Raev emphasised that each participating country presented its finest stage productions and enhanced the prestige of the festival.

Mr. Elyor Holmirzayev, the Director of the Secretariat of the Regional Administration of Andijan expressed his gratitude to all ensembles on behalf of the regional administration and stressed his strong pride to host such significant cultural events thanks to the initiative within the framework of which Andijan was declared as Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2026.

Medals of TURKSOY handed over to masters of theatre

At the event, Medals of TURKSOY were awarded to Mrs. Aziza Begmatova, an actress of the State Drama Theatre of Uzbekistan and People’s Artist of Uzbekistan, Mr. Bekzod Hamidov, the Director of the Musical Drama Theatre of Andijan and Mr. Janysh Kulmambetov, a People’s Author of Kyrgyzstan, playwright and member of the international jury, in recognition of their successful work in the fields of culture and arts as well as of their contributions to the festival. Whilst Medals of TURKSOY were handed over by Secretary General Sultan Raev, Mr. Shavkat Ortikov, the Representative of Uzbekistan to TURKSOY presented special certificates of appreciation of the the festival and souvenirs to the heads of the participating delegations.

The Grand Prix went to Kyrgyzstan

At the award ceremony of the event honouring the shared historical and cultural values of the Turkic world on stage, the “Grand Prix”, i.e. the highest award of the festival, went to Kyrgyzstan.

Following deliberations of the jury, individuals, organisations and works deemed worthy of the award at the festival were listed as follows:

Best Play (Grand Prix): Sultan Ibraimov - National Drama Theatre of Osh – “A Poem on Destiny” (If You Were to Come and Go to Osh)

Best Director: Nurkanat Jakıpbay (Astana Jastar Theatre – “Jibek”)

Best Play on the Theme of Peace, Humanism and Friendship: State Academic Drama Theatre of Turkmenistan named after Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi – “The White Horse”

Best Stage Design: Azerbaijan State Pantomime Theatre – “The Devil"

Best Innovative Form: Uzbekistan State Drama Theatre – “Leyli and Majnoon”

Special Award of the Jury for the Best Short-Form Play: Toktogul Acıbayev Alay Musical Drama Theatre – ‘Hasret’

Special Award of the Jury for the Best Staged Interpretation of Historical Memory: Andijan Region Musical Drama Theatre – ‘Babur: Longing’

The closing ceremony of the festival was highlighted by traditional music and dance performances of local artists who took the scene following the awards ceremony and featured the announcement that the Fifth International Theatre Festival of TURKSOY to take place in 2027 will be held in the city of Kayseri, in Türkiye.