105 Young Writers from 37 Countries Gather at the “YTB A World of Literature Awards”

Launched by YTB in 2025, the “YTB A World of Literature Awards” aims to discover gifted young writers from the Turkish diaspora, related communities, and international students who are eager to produce literary works. The competition was held in four categories: Best Work, Essay, Short Story, and Poetry. As a result of the competition, the “4th International Young Writers Gathering” is being organized to strengthen the writing teams of YTB’s Telve, Bağlar, and Her Boydan magazines and to enhance interaction between award-winning participants and the magazines’ authors. The gathering, held in Bursa from October 24 to 30, 2025, hosts 105 young writers from 37 countries. The five-day program includes various seminars, talks, panels, and book-signing events.

The award ceremony of the “YTB A World of Literature Awards” took place on Sunday, October 26, on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the conquest of Bursa. The ceremony, held at the Bayezid Pasha Madrasa Culture and Arts Center belonging to TÜGVA, was attended by YTB President Abdulhadi Turus, Bursa MPs Emine Yavuz Gözgeç and Osman Mesten, historian and author Mehmed Safiyüddin Erhan Efendi, Yıldırım Mayor Oktay Yılmaz, President of the Turkish Authors’ Union Bursa Branch Metin Önal Mengüşoğlu, TYB Bursa Branch Chairman Dr. Mustafa Baki Efe, TÜGVA Bursa Provincial Representative Ali Can Göç, academics, and 105 writers from 37 countries.

During the ceremony, YTB President Abdulhadi Turus delivered a speech in which he stated that Turkish is gaining strength worldwide as a language of thought and literature.

Turus highlighted that YTB’s magazines—Telve, Bağlar, and Her Boydan—serve as important cultural bridges among the Turkish diaspora, related communities, and international students.

“Through Telve, young writers of the Turkish diaspora carry Turkish to Europe as a language of literature and thought,” said Turus, adding: “The magazine’s poets and writers contribute to the intellectual reconstruction of Europe with Turkish. Bağlar carries the shared memory, bonds of brotherhood, and the elegance of Turkish rooted in every corner of the Balkans. It helps bring together the Balkans—home to many languages and ethnicities—once again around the Turkish language. Her Boydan, on the other hand, represents the bridge of affection built with Turkish by international students who come to our country from all around the world. It contributes to sustaining the intellectual connection between Türkiye alumni and the Turkish language. The fact that Telve has reached its 17th issue, Bağlar its 11th, and Her Boydan its 4th is clear evidence of the deep-rooted trajectory of these efforts.”

Turus emphasized that the “YTB A World of Literature Awards” was launched to encourage young writers and that the competition brings together young people who think, write, and dream in Turkish.

Turus noted that writers producing works in Turkish across different geographies have created works that will make a major impact. He continued: “To support these writers, encourage them, and bring their works to the forefront of Türkiye’s cultural and literary circles, we organize this award ceremony under the principle that ‘talent flourishes with appreciation.’ This competition symbolizes a shared table of affection where young people who think, dream, and write in Turkish come together from all around the world. This picture is the strongest proof of the excitement and sense of belonging Turkish evokes globally.”

AK Party Bursa MP Emine Yavuz Gözgeç underlined the importance of reading, writing, and thinking. She said, “Our first revelation begins with ‘Read’ and continues with the pen. To read and write, one must think.” Emphasizing that writing begins with thought, she added, “I hope it will be granted to our writers to explore new worlds through thinking and writing.”

Speaking at the ceremony, AK Party Bursa MP Osman Mesten highlighted the cultural and historical depth of the Turkish language. “The more we listen to our youth, the more our hope for the future grows. Turkish is not merely a communication tool; it is the language of history, of the Turkish-Islamic civilization, the language of kings and sultans, the language of the heart,” he said.

Authors representing the magazines also addressed the participants: Furkan Uzun from Germany for Telve, Sara Muliç from Serbia for Bağlar,  Ali Fahd from Nigeria for Her Boydan. Additionally, Uriie Seitumerova from Crimea, Esra Belço from Greece, and Yasemin Kelkit from Germany presented poetry recitations to the audience.

Awards were then presented to the writers who placed in the four categories of the “YTB A World of Literature Awards.”

The ceremony concluded with a family photo.