The Faculty of Academic English Program’s Çiğdem and Hossein Dabir Awards for Excellence in Short Fiction were presented to three of the seven 2022 and 2023 recipients at a ceremony on February 9.
The award is intended for Bilkent students who display exceptional proficiency in the short fiction form. Current applicants were selected from ENG 312 – Introduction to Creative Writing through their submission of a single work of short fiction. The winners were ultimately decided by a committee composed of representatives from FAE, ELIT and COMD.
Çiğdem and Hossein Dabir were lifelong advocates for creative expression and student achievement. Both generously contributed to the design and delivery of earlier forms of the ENG 312 course. Çiğdem’s love for short fiction and Hossein’s love for students formed the genesis of this award. Their passing, in 2015 and 2020 respectively, was a great loss to the Bilkent Community. This award, in remembrance of their grace, serves to honor their memory by providing Bilkent students the opportunity to be recognized and share their artistry with all.
During the ceremony, some of the award-winning students read brief excerpts from their short stories. The 2022 first-prize winner, Naz Nilsu Ayas, read a piece from her work, “Under the White Lilies,” and second-prize winner Deniz Hasanzaadeh from “Lamby.” Bora Avcı, third-prize winner of 2023, read an excerpt from his story, “The Burnt.”
In 2022, the third-prize winner was Khatri Abdul Hadi Ashraf with his story, “My Rock Friend.” The 2023 first-prize went to Cemal Ataş for his story, “101 Seconds.” The joint second-place holders in 2023 were Burak Koçak and Hamza Abdulla for their stories, “Snow White” and “Copper and Cast Iron,” respectively.
