The fourth Çanakkale Art Prize exhibition will be opened on Tuesday, 8 December 2009 at 4 pm at Hacettepe University Fine Arts Faculty Exhibition Hall in Beytepe, Ankara by Prof Uğur Erdener, and the Rector of Hacettepe University and Mr Peter Doyle, Australian Ambassador to Turkey. The exhibition can be viewed until 22 December, except on Saturdays and Sundays.  

The Çanakkale Art Prize is an initiative of the Gallipoli Memorial Club (Sydney) and Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University.  Prizes are awarded to artists in Turkey whose paintings best represent the values and traditions embodied in those who served in the Gallipoli campaign of 1915 and the bonds of friendship between Turkey and Australia.  

Its sister competition, the Gallipoli Art Prize, is run in Australia and New Zealand. This is a ten-year project which draws contributions from Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, İstanbul Işık Üniversity, Çanakkale Industrialists and Businessman Association and Australian government. Following the completion of the project with the last Çanakkale Art Prize in 2015 on the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Çanakkale (Gallipoli Campaign), 20 first prize winning paintings will be exhibited in Turkey, Australia and New Zealand.

In this year’s Art Prize, Semra Sağlam received the First Prize Award, Osman Selçuk Eroğlu the Governor’s Prize, Baybora Temel received the Ambassador’s Prize, Serdar Kul received the Rector’s Prize, Nurten Coudrains received the Special Jury Award and Mehmet Ali Büyükparmaksız and Hakan Daloğlu received Certificates of Merit. The Australian Embassy would like to thank Hacettepe University for its contribution to the Ankara exhibition.

Entries are wanted fort he 2010 competition. It will be finalised to be exhibited in Çanakkale on 18 March Battle of Çanakkale and the Commemoration of Martyrs’ Day. For those interested in the competition with its 10,000 TL first prize, please visit www.gelibolumemorial.net

For media contact: Australian Embassy
Elif BarutcuoÄŸlu-Wade
Phone:   0312-459 9504
Mobile: 0532-216 6256
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Çanakkale Art Prize Organising Committee Secretary