Names of the first winners of Ivan Franko International Prize will announced this August in Vienna. Today already 10 nominees are known – per 5 in two categories, which will claim to win.

This was announced on Thursday at a press conference in Ukrinform by the Administrative Director of Ivan Franko International Fund Igor Kurus.

“Ivan Franko International Fund has finished acceptance of the papers for obtaining of Ivan Franko International Prize 2016. The Prize has two nominations – for the significant contribution to the development of Ukrainian Studies, for the significant personal contribution to the development of social and human sciences. Nomination Committee for five disciplines will be created: Ukrainian Studies, History, Literature Studies, Ethnography and Cultural Studies, which will include 5 scientists from the universities all around the world. From the specified by us papers the International Expert Council shall choose three the best ones and transfer them to the International Jury. It will meet from 5 to 8 August in Vienna, and in Vienna will announce the winners of the Prize in two nominations. Awarding will take place in Drohobych on August 27 – the birthday of Ivan Franko “, – said Igor Kurus, adding that the prize will become annual.

He said that the prize is not governmental but the public one. Prize fund is formed by philanthropists, and in 2016 it is 500 thousand UAH. One of the requirements – professional competence and international level of the research. Papers must be submitted by scientific institutions.

“Ivan Franko International Prize named is the only prize in the world that brings together all social and human sciences and has a chance to become the most honorable award in these disciplines along with the Nobel Prize. We will hope that it will be the case”- said Roland Franko – Chairman of Ivan Franko International Fund.

Yaroslav Garasym – a member of the board of Ivan Franko International Foun, pro-rector of Lviv National University named by I. Franko – has informed that before April 1, 14 research papers were submitted by scientists from Ukraine, Spain and Georgia. 10 of them meet the requirements.

In the nomination of “Ukrainian Studies” the first Ivan Franko prize will be competed by Tetiana Ognieva (Kyiv). The monograph “Theater and film in the context of art concepts of the early XX century”; Roman Gorak (Lviv). The monograph “I wanted freedom for the repressed … Biography of Ivan Franko”; Yevgen Nahlik (Lviv). The monograph “Turned world of Ivan Kotlyarevskyi: text, intertext-context”; Authors: Korniychuk V.; Kravets Y.; Sabadukha V.; Yakubuv A. (Valencia, Spain). The book “Ivan Franko. Ukrainian pen of Spanish classics”; Vasyl Chernets, Valerii Bitayev (Kyiv). “Ukrainian Encyclopedia of ethno art study and ethnic culture.”

In the field of social and human sciences: Victoriia Durkalevych (Drohobych). The monograph “In Search of narrative identity: personal myth in the works of Ivan Franko, Andrzej Htsyuk and Bruno Schulz”; Rostyslav Kont (Kyiv). The monograph “Ethnological research in the Shevchenko Scientific Society in Lviv (1892-1940): Historiography”; Authors: Yurii Makar; Mykhailo Gornyi; Vitaliy Makar; Anatolii Saliuk (Chernivtsi). Three-volume monograph “From deportation to deportation. Socio-political life of Kholm Podlask Ukrainians (1915 – 1945). Research. Memoirs. Documents”; Polina Gerchanivska (Kyiv) “Cultural Studies: terminology”; Lubomyr Huzar (Lviv). ” Galician Metropolitan Andrii Sheptytsky (1901-1944) a forerunner of ecumenism.”

“Cardinal Lubomyr Guzar is the most famous of all nominees, a man of the highest moral values, a member of the group “First December”- presented by the submission of Lviv National University named by Ivan Franko very, very powerful by its content book. It is extremely remarkable that this work relates to ecumenism as a basis for the unity of Ukrainian church”- said Vladimir Bugrov – Board Member of Ivan Franko International Fund, rector of the Taras Shevchenko Kiev University.

He expressed confidence that the triad of the Nomination Committee, International Expert Council, International Jury will allow to avoid any subjectivity and the prize will be awarded to the really best works.

“It’s some obligations both of the Board, and everyone who takes part in it, because the prize is the first, year – anniversary, and we must show a high level of objectivity, class of the game, in order this prize further have the widest possible recognition”, – he stressed.

In 2016 we will celebrate 160th anniversary of the birthday of Ivan Franko (August 27) and the 100th anniversary of his death (May 28).