Organized by Arkın University of Creative Arts and Design (ARUCAD), the 6th Inter-High School Design Competition was held this year under the theme “From Waste to Art: Aesthetics Through Recycling.” Open to high school students from Northern Cyprus, Turkey, and the international arena, the competition’s awards were presented during a ceremony held on Friday evening, November 21, at the ARUCAD Art Gallery.
The ceremony, which featured an exhibition of works created around the theme of recycling, was attended by students, parents, and academics, as well as the University’s Founder Erbil Arkın, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Asst. Prof. Dr. Sinan Arkın, and Rector Prof. Dr. Asım Vehbi.
The first prize was awarded to Nil Deniz Seçgen, a student of Bülent Ecevit Anatolian High School in Nicosia; second prize went to Elif Eslem Yener from Kocaeli Fine Arts High School; and third prize was awarded to Alime Nur Keleş from İzmir Işılay Saygın Fine Arts High School. The Erbil Arkın Special Award was presented to Emre Biricik, a student of Mersin Nevit Kodallı Fine Arts High School. Determined by voting on Instagram, the Social Media Award this year was won by Zarina Bostekpaeva, a student of BTCS Creative School in Kazakhstan.
During the ceremony, the award-winning students received full scholarships to ARUCAD, cash prizes, and certificates of achievement. In addition, support was provided to meet the needs of the art studios of the schools that placed in the top three.
In his speech at the ceremony, ARUCAD Founder Erbil Arkın stated:
“What I see here today is a strong and creative energy that continues to grow together with you. Through the efforts of your teachers, our administrative staff, and your peers, this competition moves forward each year. We are organizing it for the sixth time; I hope that we will also see the twenty-sixth and thirty-sixth editions together. After you graduate, you will continue to create, perhaps achieve success in different parts of the world, and we will be proud of you.”
In his opening address, Rector Prof. Dr. Asım Vehbi said:
“Since the early years of our university, design competitions have held an important place for ARUCAD. The foundations of this competition were laid back then, and organizing its sixth edition today is a source of pride for us. This year’s theme, ‘From Waste to Art: Aesthetics Through Recycling,’ is particularly meaningful. Recycling is an important issue all around the world; however, bringing it together with art and aesthetics carries young people’s creativity to a different level. This year, a total of 106 students applied to the competition. Seeing that 425 students have participated in the six competitions we have organized to date makes us especially happy. This year, students from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, various cities in Turkey, and Kazakhstan ranked among the winners. I sincerely congratulate all of our award-winning students.”
Following the award presentations, participants continued to view and examine the exhibited works.
