The Ministry of Culture offered special prizes to 13 personalities in the field of culture. The 10,000 lei awards were handed last night, January 15, during a concert on the occasion of the National Culture Day, IPN reports.

Writer Leo Butnaru received the literature award, while Gheorghe Prini, head of the publishing house “Stiinta” was awarded for the collection of unique books “Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu. Writings”, in 15 tomes.

Composer Valentin Boghean and choir conductor Ilona Stepan received the awards for music.

Ilie Cojocaru was handed the award for plastic arts and director Igor Cobileanski took the cinema award for his feature film “La limita de jos a cerului” (“The Unsaved”).

Lidia Culicovschi received the librarianship award for her project Novateca, while Varvara Buzila took home the award in the field of museography and cultural heritage.

Folklorist Andrei Tamazlacaru received an award for his contribution in the field of intangible cultural heritage. Theater critic Angelina Rosca and journalist Irina Ropot were awarded for promoting culture in mass media.

Titus Jucov received post-mortem the theater award for staging the Spiridon Vangheli's play “At Guguta's star”.

The Opera Omnia award went to Iurii Gorscov, director of the National Choreography College.