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Uzbek artists, musicians and writers who win places at major international competitions will receive one-off cash prizes of up to 300 million soums under a regulation approved by the government on 11 November. Cabinet Resolution No. 617 endorses a statute governing the incentivisation of winners at prestigious contests in culture, art and literature, and also covers payments to their teachers and accompanists, as well as reimbursement of participation costs.
The regulation distinguishes between competitions already listed on a register maintained by the Ministry of Culture and those that are not. For unlisted international contests, winners may still qualify for a prize if the event meets four cumulative criteria: participation by entrants from more than 30 countries; coverage in media from more than 20 countries; recognition or support from UNESCO or another major international organisation; and at least four qualifying rounds.
Prize amounts for international competition winners are set in a four-tier structure. Grand-prix holders and first-place finishers each receive 300 million soums. Second-place finishers receive 200 million soums, and third-place finishers receive 100 million soums.
Separate, lower tiers apply to winners of national-level competitions held within Uzbekistan. Grand-prix and first-place winners at republican contests receive 100 million soums each, second-place finishers receive 50 million soums, and third-place finishers receive 25 million soums.
The resolution also provides for payments to the teachers and concert accompanists of winning performers, and for reimbursement of the costs incurred in taking part in competitions, though the source text does not specify the amounts attached to those provisions.
The Ministry of Culture administers the approved register of prestigious competitions against which simpler eligibility checks apply. The four-criterion test for unlisted contests is intended to ensure that one-off state prizes flow only to genuinely high-profile international events rather than smaller or commercially organised contests.