GALLIPOLI ART PRIZE AWARD PRESENTED BY AUSTRALIAN AMBASSADOR
Australian Ambassador Peter Doyle presented artist Sema Bicik with the inaugural Gallipoli Art Prize "Australian Ambassador's Prize" at a ceremony in Canakkale for her painting, which depicts the souls of hundreds of Anzac soldiers rising to heaven.
"Without taking sides, I tried to reflect the grief of war and to give the message that there should be no more wars on earth," Bicik said, adding that she wanted to reflect the drama of war.
Bicik was awarded her prize by Australian Ambassador Peter Doyle at a ceremony at Canakkale's 18 March University on 31 October 2007.
The "Ambassador's Prize" was introduced this year as one of the prizes for the annual arts competition organized by the Gallipoli Memorial Club. The competition also awards prizes to an Australian or New Zealand artist and a Turkish artist for works which best represent the values and traditions embodied by those who served in the Gallipoli Campaign/Canakkale Wars in 1915. All award recipients were selected by a Turkish jury.
The other award winners are:
- First Prize: Çiğdem Yılmaz
- Canakkale Governorship’s Prize: Şerife Funda Ozyurt
- Certificate of Merit: S. Serdar Arda
- Certificate of Merit: Fatih Basbug
- Certificate of Merit: Faruk Sinan Arpali
HE Mr Orhan Kırlı, Governor of Canakkale; Prof Ali Akdemir, Rector of 18 March University; Mr Fred McLure, Vice President of the Sydney Gallipoli Memorial Club; Mr Niyazi Adalı, Director of Gallipoli Memorial Co. along with Canakkale province officials and students from 18 March University attended the award ceremony.
Ambassador’s Award winner Sema Bicik’s painting
From left to right Ms Sema Bicik, the artist; Mr Niyazi Adalı, Director of Gallipoli Memorial Co., and HE Mr Peter Doyle, Australian Ambassador to Turkey