Prof. Dr. Ayşe Yüksel: We Will Not Fail to Work for a Modern and Secular Türkiye

The 18th Cagdas Yasam Republic Award, given every year by Cagdas Yasami Destekleme Dernegi on
the anniversary of April 10 Secularism Day, was given to Journalist-Writer Ayşe Kulin. ÇYDD Chairman
Prof. Dr. Ayşe Yüksel, board members, branch representatives, volunteers and Contemporary Youth
Central Unit Representatives attended the award ceremony held at Kültür University Bakırköy
Campus on Friday, April 19.
Prof. Dr. Ayşe Yüksel: We Will Not Fail to Work for a Modern and Secular Türkiye
The opening speech of the award ceremony, which was hosted by Can Coşkun and took place with
intense participation, was made by Prof. Dr. Ayşe Yüksel. Stating that they will continue to work in
the light of Atatürk's principles and revolutions and the republic, Prof.Yüksel said, "This year, our
valuable writer Ayşe Kulin was entitled to receive the Republic Award, which we gave in memory of
secularism. We are very happy and proud. Ayşe Kulin is one of the most important writers of our
country and a daughter of Atatürk. She worked all her life to pay her debt to Atatürk. She is a
valuable writer who compiled Türkan Saylan’s life into a book and wrote Snowdrops after meeting
Cagdas Yasami Destekleme Dernegi and our teacher Türkan. It was very important for us to crown
her valuable work with the Republic Award. We are here today thanks to the Republic. We will
defend the gains of the Republic at all times and under all circumstances, and we will continue to
fight in this direction. We will not refrain from working for a modern and secular Türkiye. Our night
was crowned with beautiful memories. I would like to thank everyone who contributed.”
Author and journalist Ayşe Kulin, who won the 18th Cagdas Yasam Republic Award, stated that this
award is the most valuable of all the awards she has been deemed worthy of so far, thanked the
Cagdas Yasam family and said, "Today was a very special day for me. Because the Republic is a
miracle for Türkiye and today I received the reward of a miracle. We will forever defend this great
legacy left to us, the Republic. "We will continue to produce, work and explain for a more
contemporary, enlightened and secular Türkiye," she said.
At the ceremony; Prof. Dr. Şule Özsoy Boyunsuz also gave a speech titled "Secularism, Democracy
and Republic"
The ceremony ended with a classical music concert performed by the Cagdas Yasam Youth Orchestra.
The chronological list of winners of the Cagdas Yasam Republic Award is as follows:
2007: Muazzez İlmiye Çığ
2008: Fazıl Say
2009: Sabih Kanadoğlu
2010: Dr. Rıza Türmen 
2011: Prof. Dr. Yıldız Kenter
2012: Gülriz Sururi ve Genco Erkal
2013: Prof. Dr. Yılmaz Büyükerşen
2014: Prof. Dr. Fatih Hilmioğlu
2015: Prof. Dr. Nermin Abadan Unat
2016: Prof. Dr. Doğan Kuban
2017: Doç. Dr. Ümit Kocasakal
2018: Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı
2019: Müjdat Gezen

2020: Prof. Dr. Yücel Aşkın
           Prof. Dr. Mehmet Haberal
           Prof. Dr. Mustafa Yurtkuran
           Prof. Dr. Ferit Bernay
2021: Prof. Dr. Emre Kongar
2022: Ataol Behramoğlu
2023: Prof. Dr. İonna Kuçuradi
2024: Ayşe Kulin