Egypt's highest State Awards in the fields of art, literature and social sciences for 2017 was announced late Tuesday night after final a vote at the Supreme Council for Culture (SCC). The SCC's 64 members who convened for the annual vote are some of Egypt's most celebrated writers, artists and thinkers along with heads of the country's highest cultural and educational institutions. The SCC operates under the Ministry of Culture. The State Awards were launched in 1958. Here is a full list of winners: The Nile Award The Nile Award is the highest honor and is granted to three people in the fields of literature, arts and social sciences. Each winner gets EGP 500,000 and a gold medal. A new award for the most creative Arab personality was added this year for the first time. The Nile Award in Literature was given to critic Salah Fadl. The Nile Award in Arts was handed to painter Mostafa El-Razazz. The Nile Award in Social Sciences was granted to thinker and philosophy professor Mourad Wahba. The Nile Award for the Most Creative Arab personality was awarded to Syrian Artist Youssef Abdalky. Encouragement Awards The award includes EGP 200,000 and a gold medal. The Appreciation Award in Arts went to actress Nadia Lotfy and musician Mohamed Sultan. A third award was withheld. The Appreciation Award in Literature was awarded to writers Abdel-Hakim Rady, Mohamed Kotb and Kamal Eddin Eid. The Appreication Awards in Social Sciences was awarded to Saadia Bahader, Shebla Badran, Ahmed Refaat and former Jusitce Minister Abdel-Aziz El-Gendy. Excellency Awards The award is given to seven people and includes EGP 100,000 plus a silver medal. The Excellency Award in Literature was granted to Mohamed El-Abd and Ahmed Mourad. The Excellency Award in Arts was handed to Musician Reda Bedair, and Said Badr. The Excellency Award in Social Sciences was handed to Salah Salem, Ilham Zohny, Abdel-Salam Abu Qouhaf.
