Baku (Turkey News): The second Children’s Arts Festival in Azerbaijan, organized jointly by the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Science and Education, and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, concluded on December 26 with an awards ceremony.
The event was attended by Leyla Aliyeva and Alina Aliyeva, Vice Presidents of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. Participants were briefed in detail about the festival at the start of the ceremony.
The festival, held since 2023 under Leyla Aliyeva’s initiative, aims to promote national and spiritual values among the younger generation, preserve traditional arts, and instill loyalty to the state and country. More than a competition, the festival serves as a broad creative platform that nurtures children’s artistic skills, teamwork, stage culture, creative thinking, and self-expression.
For the 2025 edition, which began in March, over 27,000 applications were received, reflecting the growing interest of children in arts. A total of 512 winners were selected across 19 individual and 5 group categories.
Speaking at the ceremony, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Culture, Adil Karimli, emphasized that state support for discovering and nurturing young talent is a key aspect of cultural policy under President Ilham Aliyev’s leadership. He added that under First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation implements numerous projects supporting the discovery, education, and personal development of young artists.
Leyla Aliyeva congratulated the winners and wished them continued success. The ceremony concluded with a concert performance by the festival winners.
