Eight Ukrainian Women Artists Receive the Women in Arts Award 2026. The Resistance
On 6 August 2026, Kyiv hosted the seventh Women in Arts Award 2026. The Resistance ceremony, an annual independent award recognizing the outstanding contributions of Ukrainian women to culture and the arts. This year’s award is dedicated to the theme of hope as the power of art to preserve memory, foster resilience, and shape a vision of the future even in times of war.
The recipients of the Women in Arts Award 2026. The Resistance are:
- Alona Karavai — Women in Cultural Management — for developing infrastructure for contemporary art, including residencies, galleries, media, and educational initiatives that create new spaces and opportunities for artists while strengthening intercultural dialogue.
- Olena Apchel — Women in Performing Arts — for theatre shaped by her lived experience as both an artist and a servicewoman, and for reinterpreting themes of memory, war, women’s experiences, colonialism, and the responsibility of the artist.
- Olena Stiazhkina — Women in Literature — for her literary and academic work exploring the experiences of war and memory, particularly those of occupied territories, while amplifying Ukraine’s voice on the international stage.
- Oksana Briukhovetska — Women in Visual Arts — for her longstanding contribution to the development of feminist art in Ukraine and for bringing the stories of marginalized communities into public discourse.
- Tetiana Oharkova — Women in Cultural Journalism, Criticism and Research — for her research and cultural work that helps European audiences better understand Ukraine’s reality, including through the French-language podcast Ukraine Facing War and the co-authored book Life on the Edge (2025).
- Nata Zhyzhchenko (ONUKA) — Women in Music — for consistently shaping a contemporary Ukrainian musical identity by blending folk traditions with electronic music and through cultural initiatives, including the Fabrychna, 12 project (2025).
- Kateryna Gornostai — Women in Film — for creating films that sensitively document contemporary Ukrainian realities, including Timestamp, which was selected for the Main Competition at the 2025 Berlinale, and for mentoring a new generation of filmmakers.
- Inna Korolenko “Korolok” — Special Mention — for the contribution to Ukrainian culture that does not fit within any single category.
More information about this year’s laureates is available at: heforsheukraine.com/artsweek2026
Art does not erase pain, but it refuses to let pain become the only story told about Ukraine. It preserves memory, sustains our capacity to dream, and helps us imagine the future. In 2026, Women in Arts Award. The Resistance honours women artists whose work restores our ability to live, to love, and to envision the future.
This year’s theme is embodied in the award statuette, Hands, created by artist Maria Kulikovska. Flowers and plants embedded within the sculpture symbolize life, continuity, and renewal. The motto of this year’s award is drawn from a poem by last year’s laureate, Olena Herasymiuk: “…and fly you must, with wings you cannot feel.”
The Head of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andrii Sybiha, shared his impressions of the event:
“Ukraine’s history offers many examples of women’s leadership. On the celebrated monument in St Michael’s Square, it is Princess Olha who embodies strong and wise statehood. Today, Ukrainian women are once again showing leadership in every sphere, including in the armed forces. And within Ukraine’s diplomatic service, women already hold eighty senior positions.
This year’s awards ceremony took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and we broadened the name to Women in Diplomacy and Arts.
Our diplomats and artists speak to the world in different languages and through different means, but with a single purpose: to end Russia’s war and restore genuine peace in Europe.
It matters to me that our Ministry should become a space where diplomacy and the arts come together, and that Ukrainian diplomacy should form the backbone of our community of communicators. The world must hear Ukraine — and for that, one voice is not enough. We need a strong and harmonious chorus of Ukrainian voices.”
“UN Women is proud to partner with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Institute, and UNESCO in recognizing the achievements of Ukrainian women artists whose talent, leadership, and determination continue to shape and strengthen the country’s cultural life. This year’s theme, hope, reminds us that art not only preserves memory but also nurtures resilience and helps us envision a future beyond war. Today, we honour women whose creativity gives voice to Ukraine’s experiences and inspires others to lead and drive change. We also honour the memory of the cultural figures who have lost their lives because of the war. At UN Women, we believe that women’s leadership in culture and across every sector is essential to building a more equal, peaceful, and resilient Ukraine,” says Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine.
“Hope does not emerge on its own – it is created by people who, despite exhaustion, loss and war, continue to speak, research, write, stage performances, make films and create. This is precisely the role of the women artists we honour today. Their work not only documents our time but also helps Ukrainian society imagine its future, while enabling the world to gain a deeper understanding of Ukraine. The Women in Arts Award recognises this contribution and serves as a reminder that culture is one of the foundations of our resilience,” comments Volodymyr Sheiko, Director General of the Ukrainian Institute.
“Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, UNESCO has worked with numerous women – artists, cultural professionals, museums, libraries, journalists and local communities to protect cultural heritage, support living culture and strengthen the resilience of Ukraine’s culture sector. Today we celebrate not only their professionalism and artistic excellence, but also leadership, courage and perseverance,” says Maria Acetoso, Chief of Culture Unit, UNESCO Antenna in Ukraine.
Women in Arts Award. The Resistance is implemented by the Ukrainian Institute and UN Women in Ukraine, in partnership with UNESCO and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, with financial support from the Governments of Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Norway, Poland, and Sweden.
Established in 2019 by the Ukrainian Institute and UN Women in Ukraine, the award is the only national prize of its scale dedicated exclusively to recognizing the achievements of women artists. Throughout the years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it has become a symbol of the visibility, resilience, and continuity of Ukrainian culture, supporting those who create, document, and reflect on the country’s reality, often at great personal risk.
Over the past seven years, the award has recognized more than 50 laureates across a wide range of disciplines from music and literature to cultural management and criticism. Each year, dozens of nominees selected by an expert jury from hundreds of applications submitted from across Ukraine are shortlisted for the award.
Media partners: Suspilne Kultura, Radio Kultura, and Starlight Media