Egypt announces winners of state cultural awards for 2025 - News

Al-Ahram Weekly

29-07-2025

The Supreme Council of Culture (SCC), headed by Minister of Culture Ahmed Fouad Hano, has officially revealed the recipients of the 2025 State Awards.
The announcement, made via an official statement on the Ministry of Culture's Facebook page on Tuesday, follows a comprehensive voting process that recognised individuals for their profound impact on Egypt's cultural and intellectual spheres.
The distinguished awards include the Nile Award, the State Appreciation Award, the Excellence Award, and the Encouragement Award.
The selection process involved a meeting attended by leading intellectuals, academics, heads of cultural institutions, and representatives from professional unions.
Nile Award
The prestigious Nile Awards were granted to:
Arts category : Architect Dr. Saleh Lamai
: Architect Dr. Saleh Lamai Literature category : Dr. Ahmed Darwish
: Dr. Ahmed Darwish Social Sciences category : Dr. Ahmed Zayed
: Dr. Ahmed Zayed Nile Award for Arab Creators: Palestinian artist Suleiman Anis Mansour
Appreciation Award
The State Appreciation Awards were granted to:
Arts category : Theatre director Shaker Abdel Latif, visual artist Abdel Wahab Abdel Mohsen, and cinematographer Samir Farag.
: Theatre director Shaker Abdel Latif, visual artist Abdel Wahab Abdel Mohsen, and cinematographer Samir Farag. Literature category : Poet Ahmed El-Shahawi, critic and writer Dr. Khayri Douma, and writer Fatma El-Maadoul.
: Poet Ahmed El-Shahawi, critic and writer Dr. Khayri Douma, and writer Fatma El-Maadoul. Social Sciences category: University professors Dr. Anas Gaafar, Dr. Mohamed Sameh Amr, Dr. Mona Haggag, and Dr. Nevine Massad.
Excellence Award
The State Awards for Excellence were granted to:
Arts category : Artist Nazli Madkour and, posthumously, the late internationally renowned Egyptian pianist Dr. Moshira Eissa.
: Artist Nazli Madkour and, posthumously, the late internationally renowned Egyptian pianist Dr. Moshira Eissa. Literature category : Poet Masoud Shoman and Dr. Khaled Abou El-Leil.
: Poet Masoud Shoman and Dr. Khaled Abou El-Leil. Social Sciences category: Dr. Samah Fawzy, Dr. Atiya El-Tantawy, and Dr. Nahla Imam.
Encouragement Award
When it comes to the 2025 Encouragement Awards, 32 creatives were honoured across arts, literature, social sciences, and legal/economic studies.
Arts Category (8 prizes; 6 awarded, 2 withheld)
Piano Performance : Naghamaya Safwat for her rendition of Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra.
Film Script : Mahmoud Zein for Wala Azaa' Lil Sayedat.
: Mahmoud Zein for Wala Azaa' Lil Sayedat. Children's Book Illustration : Heidi Fawzy for Ta'aqqal... Ya Marah.
: Heidi Fawzy for Ta'aqqal... Ya Marah. Theatrical Scenography : Nehad El-Sayed for Shatat.
: Nehad El-Sayed for Shatat. Digital Media & Architecture : Mostafa Salem for an awareness series on heritage preservation.
: Mostafa Salem for an awareness series on heritage preservation. Painting : Dr. Islam El-Reihany for The Music of the Body.
: Dr. Islam El-Reihany for The Music of the Body. Withheld: Prizes for 'E-marketing for handicrafts' and 'Fiber Art'.
Literature (8 prizes)
Historical Novel : Doaa Gamal El-Bady for Crows That Don't Eat the Dead.
Short Story Collection : Ahmed Yasser Fathy for A Very Lonely City.
: Ahmed Yasser Fathy for A Very Lonely City. Classical Poetry : Mohamed Refai for The Cry of a Coin.
: Mohamed Refai for The Cry of a Coin. Colloquial Poetry : Ibrahim Abou Samra for Balta Shi'r.
: Ibrahim Abou Samra for Balta Shi'r. Computational Linguistics : Marwa Mostafa Amin for Functions of the Electronic Dictionary.
: Marwa Mostafa Amin for Functions of the Electronic Dictionary. Narrative Criticism : Aly Kotb for Singing and Music in the Literature of Naguib Mahfouz.
: Aly Kotb for Singing and Music in the Literature of Naguib Mahfouz. Translation (Turkish-Arabic) : Sousana Sayed Mohamed for A Strange Woman by Leyla Erbil.
: Sousana Sayed Mohamed for A Strange Woman by Leyla Erbil. Translation (Arabic to Asian/African languages): Shared by Dina Mohamed Bayoumi (Suspense and Horror Between China and Egypt) and Mohamed Abdelrahman Farag (Al-Mukhtasar Al-Shafi fi Al-Iman Al-Kafi).
Social Sciences
History, Archaeology & Heritage (shared) : Dr. Ahmed Ma'arouf for Walls with Gates: Political Borders in Islamic Historical Heritage. Dr. Sherif Imam for Saad Zaghloul in Gramsci's Mirror.
: Geography & Environment : Dr. Shaimaa Mohamed Wehba for research on water pollution and income inequality in Egypt.
: Dr. Shaimaa Mohamed Wehba for research on water pollution and income inequality in Egypt. Philosophy & Anthropology : Irene Samir Hakim for The Many Faces of Female Genital Mutilation.
: Irene Samir Hakim for The Many Faces of Female Genital Mutilation. Educational Sciences : Dr. Mohamed Abdel Khaleq for Dimensions of Global Education in Stoic Philosophy.
: Dr. Mohamed Abdel Khaleq for Dimensions of Global Education in Stoic Philosophy. Media : Student team (Ramaj Osman, Gharib Reda, Farah Abdelkarim, etc.) for the film Hayy Falasteen, directed by Martina Wagdy.
: Student team (Ramaj Osman, Gharib Reda, Farah Abdelkarim, etc.) for the film Hayy Falasteen, directed by Martina Wagdy. Administrative Sciences : Dr. Islam Abdel Bari for Decoding Buy Now, Pay Later in Egypt.
: Dr. Islam Abdel Bari for Decoding Buy Now, Pay Later in Egypt. Documentation & Publishing : Dr. Alaa Jaafar Al-Sadiq for research on local journal indexing.
: Dr. Alaa Jaafar Al-Sadiq for research on local journal indexing. Digital Culture: Dr. Ahmed Magdy for How AI Has Changed the Film Industry.
Legal and Economic Sciences (6 prizes awarded, 2 withheld)
Inflation in the Egyptian Economy : Dr. Gehan Abdel Salam Mahmoud for Tackling Inflation amid Global Crises.
: Dr. Gehan Abdel Salam Mahmoud for Tackling Inflation amid Global Crises. Climate Change : Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Okasha for Climate Change and Economic Sustainability.
: Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Okasha for Climate Change and Economic Sustainability. Russian–Ukrainian War & International Relations : Shared by Dr. Raghda El-Beheiry, Dr. Adnan Moussa, and Mr. Mahmoud Kassem.
: Shared by Dr. Raghda El-Beheiry, Dr. Adnan Moussa, and Mr. Mahmoud Kassem. Geopolitical Shifts : Ahmed Abdel Fattah Askar for Strategic Transformations in the Horn of Africa (2020–2024).
: Ahmed Abdel Fattah Askar for Strategic Transformations in the Horn of Africa (2020–2024). Right to Privacy : Dr. Mohamed Mesbah El-Naghy for Constitutional Guarantees for Genetic Privacy.
: Dr. Mohamed Mesbah El-Naghy for Constitutional Guarantees for Genetic Privacy. Cultural Diversity Management : Dr. Mahmoud Hussein Abou Seif for The Principle of Non-Refoulement in European Human Rights Law.
: Dr. Mahmoud Hussein Abou Seif for The Principle of Non-Refoulement in European Human Rights Law. Withheld: Prizes for 'Personal Data Protection under Cyber Law' and 'Citizenship Through Investment'.
Minister Hano emphasised that these awards represent one of the highest forms of recognition granted by the Egyptian state, describing them as the culmination of long and distinguished careers marked by creativity and dedication.
Hano reaffirmed the state's continued commitment to supporting intellectuals and creators who contribute to strengthening Egypt's cultural identity and promoting values of diversity, openness, and awareness, the statement pointed out.
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