"Star Ticket" prize-winners named

(KZN.RU, February 17, by Taisiya Basharkina) " Star Ticket 2013" international literary prizes were awarded in the capital's City Hall. The awarding ceremony was attended by Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin and members of the Board of Trustees of "Aksenov-Fest" -- writer Evgeny Popov and Editor-In-Chief of the "Oktyabr" magazine Irina Barmetova .

Opening the ceremony, Ilsur Metshin thanked the Board of Trustees members for their tremendous work in search and selection of the best literary works. This year, 300 works were submitted for the award, only two of which had to be chosen.

The winners were a 24-year-old Arutyun Ovakimian from Yerevan in the "Poetry" category and a 30-year-old Evgenii Babushkin from St. Petersburg in the "Prose" category. Both winners received a "Star Ticket" bronze statuette and a cash prize.

Ilsur Metshin Award pointed out that "Star Ticket" is a brand Kazan can take pride in, and "Aksenov -Fest" is a page in the rich cultural life of the capital of the republic. "We will continue our tradition of awarding "Star Tickets" to young talents. The 19th and 20th centuries gave Russia a huge number of outstanding writers, and we must do everything possible to find new talents in the 21st century," concluded the Mayor.

The "Star Ticket" award was established in 2007 by Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin within the framework of the international festival "Aksenov-Fest".