Egyptian artist and former culture minister Farouk Hosny has won the 2026 Nile Prize for Arts, the Supreme Council of Culture announced on Monday during its annual meeting to vote on the state prizes.
Hosny was shortlisted alongside Mohamed Shaker, former dean of Alexandria University’s Faculty of Fine Arts and emeritus professor of painting.
The Nile Prize, one of Egypt’s highest state honours, is awarded annually to one recipient in each of the arts, literature and social sciences categories. Each prize carries LE500,000 and a gold medal.
Born in Alexandria on Jan. 7, 1938, Hosny graduated from Alexandria University’s Faculty of Fine Arts in 1964. He held several cultural posts, including director of the Anfushi Culture Palace in Alexandria and director of the Egyptian Cultural Centre in Paris. He also worked at the Egyptian Academy of Arts in Rome.
Hosny served as culture minister from 1987 for more than two decades. Alongside his administrative career, he pursued an extensive career as a visual artist, best known for his abstract works, which have been exhibited in Egypt and abroad.
He received an honorary doctorate from Japan’s Soka University in 1993, in addition to several artistic awards and honours.
In a statement posted on Facebook after the announcement, Hosny expressed his gratitude to the institutions that nominated him, including Cairo University, the Academy of Arts, the Actors’ Syndicate and the Association of Art Lovers.
He also said he would donate the prize money to Abu El-Reesh Children’s Hospital, while retaining the award’s “moral value”.
“I believe that the impact of culture and art is only complete when they support society and serve humanity,” he said.
