Shevchenko National Prize announces 2026 laureates

The laureates of the 2026 Shevchenko National Prize, the country’s top state award for contributions to culture and the arts, have been announced. The prize committee published the list, which was confirmed by presidential decree.

In the prose category, the prize was awarded to Pavlo Belianskyi for his novel “To Fight Cannot Retreat,” and to Yurii Shcherbak for the book “Dead Memory. Voices and Cries: A Book of Conclusions and Prophecies.”

Belianskyi is a writer, blogger, screenwriter, and military officer. Born in 1977 in the Luhansk region, he graduated from the Dnipropetrovsk Chemical and Technological Institute and held a variety of jobs, from freight forwarder to journalist, before opening his own company manufacturing gravestones. His early collections were issued by DIPA Publishing House, and the anthology “I Work at the Cemetery” was published by Vivat, and later adapted into a film of the same title.

“A Ukrainian language teacher from Kryvyi Rih, a window installer from Dnipro, a gangster from Kherson, a grain truck driver from a small village in Poltava, a coffee shop owner on the coast of the Kakhovka Reservoir, a writer from Kyiv, a welder from a metallurgical plant, a car mechanic, a former student — none of them planned to become soldiers. But then the large-scale invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine began, and they all took up arms to defend their country. Now they are fighters in a separate assault battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Readers follow the characters from the unit’s formation through their frontline battles: the first assaults, liberated villages and their inhabitants, harsh life in the trenches, injuries and deaths of comrades, disappointments and losses, fragile military happiness, the end of the old life and the beginning of a new one. Like all of Beliansky’s work, the book is both personal and forthright. It will be funny, it will be scary. Some may find it uncomfortable and too frank, but it is unlikely to leave anyone indifferent,” the annotation reads.

Shcherbak is a Ukrainian writer and public figure, holding a Doctor of Medical Sciences degree, and former ambassador to Israel, the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as a prominent public official. He is the author of over 30 books of prose, poetry, drama, and journalism. Shcherbak is a laureate of the Antonovych Foundation Award “For Contribution to Ukrainian Culture” and the Order of the magazine ‘Ї’ “For Intellectual Courage.”

“Dead Memory. Voices and Cries: A Book of Conclusions and Prophecies” was published by Ababahalamaha Publishing House.

“Ukraine is under occupation. The enemy has not only usurped power, but has also achieved the seemingly impossible: the people’s memory has been completely destroyed, and they have become mere biomass. In this situation, a group of brave individuals begins to fight for liberation,” reads the annotation to the book. 

No award was given this year in the poetry category, although three works were shortlisted: “Crimean Chronicle” by Viacheslav Huk, “#ConsonantsVowels” by Oleksii Byk, and “Mamay’s Dance” by Ihor Pavliuk.

In literary studies and art criticism, the prize went to Olesia Avramenko for a series of popular art studies published in her Accent series, including books on Ukrainian artists (Bilokur, Prykhodko, and Tistol), and to Serhii Trymbach for the book “Ivan Mykolaichuk. Mysteries of Fate,” a study of the celebrated Ukrainian actor and filmmaker.

The journalism and essay writing category was awarded to Oleh Kryshtopa for the documentary novel “Radio Aphrodite.”

The Shevchenko National Prize was established in 1961 and named after the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko. The prize is Ukraine’s most prestigious cultural award. It recognizes significant contributions to literature, journalism, music, theater, cinema, and the visual arts.

Up to seven prizes may be awarded annually, and recipients can receive the honor only once in their lifetime. Each laureate receives a monetary award of UAH 484,480 (about $12,000).

Recent winners in literature include Tamara Duda in 2022 for her novel “Daughter,” in 2023 Kateryna Kalytko for the poetry collection “Order of the Silent Women,” in 2024, the award was given to Yaryna Chornohuz for her poetry collection “[dasein: defense of presence],” and Dmytro Lazutkin for his poetry collection “Bookmark.” Yurii Izdryk received the prize in 2025 for the poetry book “Collection.”

The 2026 winners in the prose category had been reported earlier, ahead of the official announcement of this year’s laureates.

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Copy editing: Ben Angel