One of the world’s biggest showcases of Afghan arts, culture, and entertainment, the ATN Awards recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. To help mark this special occasion and learn more about this unique event, read on for the answers to some of your top questions about the ATN Awards.
What are the ATN Awards all about?
An annual celebration of Afghan music and performing arts, the ATN Awards honor and recognize the most important and exciting contributions made to Afghanistan’s cultural development during the preceding year. The awards ceremony itself is an unmissable spectacle, attended by key figures in Afghanistan’s cultural scene and featuring live performances from some of the country’s most popular musicians and performing artists.
However, the ATN Awards is more than just a one-night special event. It is also an important step in the long-term process of sustaining, preserving, and enhancing Afghanistan’s cultural heritage, and of encouraging and promoting unity in the global Afghan community. This vibrant showcase of artistic achievement is the world’s most prominent forum for celebrating Afghan arts and culture, and it serves as a point of pride and connection for Afghans everywhere. It also provides an introduction to Afghanistan’s rich cultural history and artistic scene for international viewers who may not be familiar with this aspect of the country.
What types of awards are presented?
A wide range of different awards are presented to Afghan musicians at the ATN Awards. Major categories include best male and female artist, best new male and female artist, best album, best track, and best music video. Past award recipients have included some of the biggest names in Afghan entertainment, including the musician and humanitarian Farhad Darya and young artist Shekeb Osamani. There is also a special award presented each year for lifetime achievement; past recipients of this honor include Zahir Howaida, a political singer who first rose to fame in the 1970s; and Rahim Mehryar and his wife Parasto, a beloved pop music duo from the 1980s.
At the ninth annual ATN Awards in 2015, the Jawedana Hai Moseqi Award was introduced to recognize an artist’s exceptional legacy of achievement in Afghan performing arts.
Where are the ATN Awards held?
To maximize their reach and impact and to allow as many Afghan artists to participate as possible, the ATN Awards are held in a different world city each year, typically one with a high concentration of resident Afghan artists. In addition to Kabul, past host cities have included San Francisco, California (2008); Hamburg, Germany (2009); and Gurgaon, India (2013).
The ATN Awards not only provides an opportunity to showcase Afghan arts and culture for the world, but also to highlight the artistic and cultural achievements of the host cities. In 2015, for example, the ATN Awards were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at the Istana Budaya (the Palace of Culture), Malaysia’s main performing arts venue and a testament to the country’s commitment to artistic excellence and appreciation.
The tenth anniversary of the ATN Awards was held in 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey, at the Istanbul Congress Center.
Does the public have a say in deciding who receives awards?
The recipients of ATN awards are determined by an extended process of nomination, selection, and voting. Each year, artists are able to either submit their own work for consideration or to be nominated by others before a specified deadline. A panel of judges then considers all the submissions and nominations and decides on the finalists, who are announced about a month prior to the awards ceremony. Individual viewers then have the opportunity to vote for their favorite artists or songs via SMS or on the website atnawards.com.
Where can I watch the ATN Awards?
The ATN Awards are broadcast live on Ariana Television Network and are available to a global audience online via ATN’s website. Arts and culture fans who reside in or wish to travel to the ATN Awards host city can also purchase tickets to attend the ceremony in person. Over the years, both attendance at the live event and television viewership figures have increased significantly. At the 2015 awards, 800 guests were expected at the ceremony, while 45 million television and online viewers enjoyed the spectacle.
Who has hosted the awards show?
Asad Badie has been the Master of Ceremonies for the ATN Awards four times to date, most recently in 2015. A well-known Afghan entertainer and singer, Asad Badie rose to fame in the 1980s as one of the members of the band Goroh-e-Baran, which also included Farhad Darya. Today, he has home bases in Switzerland and Australia, and performs in numerous charity concerts worldwide. He also works as a physician, having earned his medical degree while living in Switzerland.