Get to Know 2026 Winners of 2026 State Awards

Egypt's Supreme Council of Culture has announced the winners of the 2026 State Awards, honouring leading figures in the fields of arts, literature and social sciences during its annual meeting chaired by Acting Minister of Culture Abdel Aziz Konsowa.

The prestigious Nile Awards, Egypt's highest state cultural honour, were presented to former Minister of Culture Farouk Hosny in the arts category, renowned literary critic and academic Youssef Noufel in literature, and political science professor Ahmed Youssef Ahmed in social sciences. Iraqi poet and critic Ali Jaafar Al-Alaq received the Nile Award for Arab Creators.

The State Appreciation Awards in the arts went to veteran actor Mohamed Sobhy, sculptor El-Sayed Abdo Selim and celebrated calligrapher Khodeir El-Borsaidy. In literature, the honours were awarded to writer Ahmed Fadl Shabloul, literary scholar Mohamed Naguib El-Talawy and academic Mary Therese Abdel Massih. 

The social sciences category recognised philosopher and translator Anwar Moghith, media professor Laila Abdel Meguid and communications scholar Mohamed Shoman.

Seven recipients were also honoured with the State Excellence Awards. Theatre director Ahmed Abdel Galil and musician and academic Maisa Abdel Ghani won in the arts category, while literary critic Sherine Abou El-Naga and writer Mohamed Abdel Hafez Nassef received the awards in literature. The social sciences honours went to Abdel Salam Nouir, media professor Mona El-Hadidi and academic Ahmed El-Qanawy.

The State Awards are among Egypt's most prestigious cultural honours and are divided into three categories: the Nile Award, valued at EGP 500,000 with a gold medal, the State Appreciation Award worth EGP 200,000 with a gold medal, and the State Excellence Award, which carries a prize of EGP 100,000 and a silver medal.

This year's winners reflect the diversity of Egypt's cultural and academic landscape, recognising decades of contributions in theatre, visual arts, literature, philosophy, media, political science and cultural studies.