Five individuals and organizations are to receive Presidential Cultural Awards this year, the General Association of Chinese Culture said on Wednesday.
The awards were created in 2001 during the tenure of then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to recognize individuals and groups that have made special contributions to Taiwan and represent “Taiwanese values.”
The awards are given in five categories: arts and culture, humanitarian dedication, creativity and innovation, public advocacy and community building.
Ju Ming (朱銘), winner of the Arts and Culture Award, is a sculptor who rose to fame in the 1970s and established an outdoor sculpture museum in New Taipei City in 1999.
Over the past 20 years, he has won numerous international awards, including the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize in 2007.
The Taiwan Mennonite New Dawn Institution, winner of the Humanitarian Dedication Award, was established by Canadian pastor Otto Dirks in 1977 as a special education center.
It has over the years evolved into a system encompassing many forms of humanitarian services, including assistance for disabled and underprivileged people.
Luxury Logico, winner of the Creativity and Innovation Award, was created by four contemporary artists born in the 1980s — Chen Chih-chien (陳志建), Lin Llunc (林昆穎), Chang Keng-hau (張耿豪) and Chang Geng-hwa (張耿華) — whose works are inspired by the natural environment.
Fang He-sheng (方荷生), winner of the Community Building Award, is a chief of Taipei’s Zhongqing Borough (忠勤), where many underprivileged people live.
He has organized projects to take care for older people, educate young people and feed the hungry.
The Taiwan Association for Human Rights, winner of the Public Advocacy Award, was established in 1984 to assist political prisoners and fight for the removal of martial law, but has evolved into an organization that seeks to improve and protect human rights.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to present the trophies at an award ceremony on Oct. 18.
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