The award ceremony of the winners of the National Literary Award "Aiboz" was held in Almaty. The competition, organized by the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan, was held for the third time.
Congratulating the laureates, Minister of Culture and Information Aida Balayeva expressed gratitude to the writers for their contribution to the development of Kazakh literature.
"The Aiboz Award is a special award that reveals new names, glorifies the masters of the word and introduces the people to their work," the minister said.
At the same time, she noted that the state pays special attention to the literary sphere, supporting its development through systemic projects.
"Every year, the Writers' Union, together with the Akimat of Almaty, awards grants to 400, together with the Akimat of Astana – 80 metropolitan authors. The Ministry continues its systematic work in the book sector. This year, royalties were paid to 52 authors under the procurement program for socially significant literature. New works will be available to a wide range of readers next year. According to the reprint program, 134 books were published in 2023, and by the end of this year 189 new books have been transferred to the country's libraries," Aida Balayeva informed.
Also this year, the Ministry has implemented three major projects in partnership with the Union of Writers of Kazakhstan:
The project "Literary and educational panorama of Kazakhstan", in which young authors visited the regions of the country and created 20 new works. By the end of the year, the authors will receive royalties in the amount of 4 million tenge;
The project "School of Excellence of writers", where aspiring writers study, acquire new skills and abilities under the guidance of well-known domestic and foreign authors;
The project "Scientific research of Kazakh writers in the archives of the CIS countries", aimed at in-depth study of the literary heritage of Kazakh poets and writers.
The year 2024 was also marked by the celebration of the anniversaries of such outstanding writers as Ilyas Zhansugurov, Beimbet Mailin, Saken Seifullin, Abish Kekilbayev, Fariza Ongarsynova and Gerold Belger. Literary tours dedicated to these events have strengthened interest in national literature.
In addition, on behalf of the Head of State, a new holiday date was set in Kazakhstan — National Book Day, which is celebrated on April 23. In honor of this event, the Ministry announced the "Ulttyk Kitap" competition.
In her speech, the Minister focused on a number of important initiatives that are being implemented to popularize the book industry. In addition to the Aiboz Award, other competitions are held for young Kazakhstani writers: the Presidential Special Literary Award, the Daryn Prize in literature for strengthening intercultural and interethnic unity.
This year, the literary club for young writers "Alka" was created under the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Young writers held a literary tour in honor of the 130th anniversary of Ilyas Zhansugurov and the 100th anniversary of Berdibek Sokpakbayev.
"The President has declared 2025 the Year of Working Professions. In this regard, the Yerlik pen enbek Dastany competition has been announced, aimed at supporting talented authors and revealing the importance of working professions in society. We believe that all this is a vivid example of comprehensive measures aimed at supporting national literature and the community of writers," summed up Aida Balayeva.
In 2024, the authors of 176 works in 7 nominations submitted applications for the Aiboz award: "Best Prose" – 57, "Best Poetry" – 37, "Best Drama" – 16, "Best Literary Criticism" – 13, "Best Literary Translation" – 14, "Best Children's Literature" – 31 and "The best comic" – 8 applications.
According to the results of the secret ballot of the independent jury, the winner of the award in the nomination "Best prose" was the author of the novel "Makhambettin olim Zhazasy" Beket Karashin, in the nomination "Best poetry" - the author of the ballad "Aikorkem" Maraltai Rayymbekuly. In the nomination "Best Drama", the largest number of votes was given for the play "Aziret Sultan", authored by Duman Ramadan. The award in the nomination "Best literary translation" was awarded to Rauza Musabayeva for her work "Tan zhuldyzy". Among the winners of the awards in the nomination "Best children's literature" - Token Alzhantegi with the work "Kyzyktyn bari auylda", in the nomination "Best literary criticism" - Zhusipbek Korgasbek with the work "Saytannyn oyyny". The author of the "Best comic book" was named Zhaksylyk Sabitov with the work "Zhoshy Khan".
The total prize fund of the national literary award amounted to 35 million tenge.
"Aiboz" is a national literary award established by the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan in order to support and stimulate domestic writers.
Press Service of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mam/press/news/details/894536