"It is with sadness and surprise that we observe from the President of the State Literature Awards Committee an attempt to drag away laureates, colleagues and the very institution of the State Literature Awards.
Without wanting to give substance to what is mentioned in the letter of Mr. Kyriakos Ioannou published on 14/11/25, which we consider inappropriate and offensive, we would like to state the following:
The Cyprus State Literature Awards Committee operates democratically, and where there is no unanimity, by majority. No one can arbitrarily impose their opinion.
From the moment someone accepts to participate in such a committee, he must know the procedure and realize that in addition to the institutional procedures and rules that he is asked to accept with respect, he is also accepting to participate in a committee with a plurality of opinions and aesthetic criteria.
Just as the procedure was followed last year, it was followed this year as well. The opinions of all committee members are recorded in the minutes.
We explicitly and unequivocally declare that we have never judged with political or ideological criteria, which is clearly seen from the diversity of the awarded works.
Cypriot writers are also writers of the world. The evaluation of a literary work is not only about locality but also about universality. It is an advantage for the composition of a literary prize committee that the judges have close contact with world literature.
Congratulations to one and all. The literature of our country is rich and dynamic. Our writers deserve more.
Christos HatzigiannisMaria A. IoannouMichaela PrinzingerKonstantinos Bouras (members of the State Literature Awards Committee for 2023 and 2024 Publications)”
