Leyla Aliyeva and Alena Aliyeva Attend Awards Ceremony of Children’s Art Contest
Baku, The Gulf Observer: The 2025 edition of the Children’s Art Festival, jointly organized by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Science and Education, and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, concluded with an awards ceremony on December 26 in Baku.
Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, and Alena Aliyeva attended the ceremony, where participants were first briefed on the festival’s activities and objectives.
Launched in 2023 at the initiative of Leyla Aliyeva, the festival aims to instill national and spiritual values in the youth, preserve and promote traditional art forms, and nurture young people who are loyal to their state and Motherland. Beyond being a competition, the festival serves as a broad creative platform that fosters teamwork, stage culture, creativity, and self-expression among children.
The 2025 edition, which commenced in March, received over 27,000 applications, reflecting the growing interest of Azerbaijani children in the arts. A total of 512 winners were selected across 19 individual and 5 collective nominations.
Addressing the ceremony, Adil Karimli, Minister of Culture, highlighted that state support for discovering and nurturing young talents is a key aspect of Azerbaijan’s cultural policy under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev. He also praised the role of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, under the leadership of First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva, for implementing numerous projects that support the education, development, and recognition of young talents.
Leyla Aliyeva congratulated the winners and wished them continued success. The event concluded with a concert program performed by the festival’s award-winning participants, showcasing the creativity and talent of Azerbaijan’s young artists.
