Ulaanbaatar, January 11, 2024 /MONTSAME/ To celebrate the most exceptional and dedicated calligraphers, both from Mongolia and around the world, the annual Contest ‘Mongolian Calligrapher -2023’ was successfully organized by ‘Khumuun Bichig’ newspaper of MONTSAME National News Agency for the 27th year and selected the best calligraphers in the Mongol Script in eight categories. 

The Awards Ceremony was held on January 11, 2024, at the Mongolian National Modern Art Gallery. The Contest was jointly organized by the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Culture. The most popular Contest in Mongol Script with its wide range of participants is also prestigious as the President grants the awards, an indication of government encouragement to the spread of the traditional national script. 

This year, 1,650 participants from 20 aimags, 9 districts of Ulaanbaatar and four countries, for the first time, submitted their works.

In her opening remarks delivered at the Awards Ceremony, Director General of MONTSAME Mongolian National News Agency E. Sodontogos highlighted that MONTSAME Mongolian National News Agency has expanded the scope of the Contest, having invited foreign nationals, and making the Contest an International Contest. People from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China, Japan, and the Republic of Czechia competed in the 27th Contest, besides participants from all aimags except Gobi-Sumber.

Traditionally featuring seven distinct categories, the 27th Contest introduced an additional international category for non-resident Mongols and foreigners, welcoming participants from all corners of the globe who are proficient in writing in the unique Mongol script. Imazeki Toshiko from Japan won first place in this category.

The participants in the Innovative work category competed with their incredible works made of various materials including glass, silk, bone, leather, and reed. The winner in this category, 7^th grade student of Chandmani-Erdene School of Uliastai soum, Zavkhan aimag Mongoljingoo created a couple of embroideries “Ochirvaani” and “Etugen” for two months.

The 27^th Contest also features the participation of some prisoners and students with special educational needs, demonstrating the growing spread of Mongol script.

President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa handed over the prizes to the winners of the Contest. The President stated, "Mongol script, which has a history of more than 1,000 years of origin and development, is a precious intellectual heritage of the Mongol nation and a valuable contribution of nomadic Mongols to humankind. Since Great Chinggis Khaan made the Mongol script the state script of the Great Mongol Empire, the history of our country, diplomatic relations with the countries of the world, and many historical sources were recorded in the Mongol script. This annual Contest makes an important contribution to the preservation and spread of the Mongol script.”

As stipulated in the Law on the Mongolian Language approved by the State Great Khural in 2015, a decision has been made to conduct the Government services in a dual script - the traditional Mongol script and the Cyrillic script from 2025. Therefore, the contestants underscored the significance of this kind of contest in promoting and encouraging the youth to learn the Mongol Script.

The Contest's award - the right to study at the National University of Mongolia and the Mongolian National University of Education with a scholarship - has been granted to six 12th-grade students. To date, over 90 students have been awarded these scholarships.  

The exhibition of the best works of the Contest will be open at the Mongolian National Modern Art Gallery until January 16, 2024.