REGULATIONS
of Bakhshi International Art Festival
General provisions
1. This Regulations defines the order of holding Bakhshi International Art Festival (hereinafter referred to as the Festival).
2. The Festival is held taking into account the following:
promoting the bakhshi art which is considered the leading genre of folklore arts of Eastern nations; preserving, studying, promoting and developing folklore traditions and values, encouraging talented performers of bakhshi art;
studying the history of bakhshi and epic art, creativity of bakshi and poets, gathering folklore memorials, upbringing the younger generation in the spirit of love for the art of bakhshi, upbringing of such universal values as courage, honesty, high devotion to the motherland and heritage of ancestors;
developing bakhshi and epic art, increasing the role and significance of bakhshi-poets, storytellers and narrators in oriental culture and art, covering Uzbek epic art and other folklore genres, conducting scientific negotiations, creative dialogue and developing cooperation, expanding cultural-enlightenment relations internationally.
3. The Festival is held in the city of Khiva of Khorezm region, on April 23-25.
4. The Festival is organized and conducted by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan (hereinafter referred to as the Organizer).
The order and conditions of conducting the festival
5. The following events will be held within the framework of the festival:
- а forum dedicated to the development of culture today, with a focus on contemporary trends, challenges, and prospects in the fields of art and cultural heritage. Additionally, it will address the further enhancement of the role and significance of the art of bakhshi-poets, akyns, and storytellers in the culture and art of the East (hereinafter - a scientific and practical conference);
- solo performances by foreign and Uzbekistan masters of bakhshi art;
- international competition of bakhshi-poets, storytellers and narrators, as well as folklore teams (hereinafter referred to as the competition);
- festivities, modern program shows about life and creative activity of world famous Uzbekistan people;
- exhibition on bakhshi art history, presentation of scientific-research works and scientific-educational literature published in Uzbek, Persian, Arabic, English and Russian.
6. Musical groups or individual performers from any country can participate in the festival.
The number of participants in a musical group from each country should not exceed 6 people.
The Organizing Committee of the Festival will cover all expenses for the participants' stay in Uzbekistan (accommodation, meals, internal transportation costs).
Double rooms are provided in the hotel (if the participant wishes to stay in a single room, an additional payment is required).
Those wishing to participate in the festival at their own expense (except for creative delegations of 6 people), including creative people of the art of bakhshi, foreign folklorists, bards, poets, creative groups, specialists and honored guests can participate at the invitation of the Organizer.
7. Requirements for willing participants of the competition:
- experience of performing at concerts;
- participation in competitions and festivals in their own or other countries;
- recommendations from the directorate of various festivals or higher organizations in the field of culture and art.
8. Groups and artists wishing to take part in the competition must provide the organizer with the following by April 1, 2025:
- a completed festival participant application form (attached);
- video and audio materials;
- information about the group or performer (no more than 300 words);
- photographs of the musical group or performer (for publication).
The duration of the work should not exceed 10 minutes.
All information about the participants should be sent to the email address
[email protected] no later than April 1, 2025.
Participants of the Festival must bring a flag of the country measuring 2m x 1m.
The documents provided must be prepared in Uzbek, English or Russian.
9. Participants of the scientific practical conference, to be held within the framework of the Festival, should present the following:
the full text of the participant’s 4-5-pages report of at least 300 thesis;
participation certificate (resume);
presentation of the report;
the text of the report translated into Uzbek, English and Russian languages;
three size-6x9 cm. color photographs.
Materials for participation in the conference must be sent to e-mail
[email protected] no later than April 1, 2025.
10. The list of participants in the competition and scientific-practical conference is determined by the Organizing Committee and announced to the participants before April 10, 2025.
11. Uzbek, English and Russian languages are defined as the working languages of the Festival.
Conditions for evaluating the participants of the Festival and establishment of the International jury ativity
12. The Organizing Committee shall establish an international jury of seven people to evaluate the performances of the participants in the competition.
Highly qualified specialists, famous artists, cultural figures, scientists, researchers, as well as representatives of relevant industries from the participating countries will be invited to the international jury.
13. During the evaluation, the main criteria shall be the original national characteristics, artistic and aesthetic aspects of the performed works (dastans), the performances of the performers, costumes and stage culture reflecting the artistic value and performance features of the samples, the level of proficiency and performance of folklore, the conformity of performance methods and the artistic level of the scenery (clothing, props) and its compatibility with national traditions, the use of traditional musical instruments
14. The international jury shall evaluate the participants of the festival competition in two areas:
- the direction of performing the epic;
- the direction of playing a musical instrument.
Awarding order
15. Winners of the competition shall be awarded by the Organizing Committee with diplomas, statuettes and prize money in the following amounts:
Grand Prix – 7 000 USD;
1st place (in each direction) 2 х 5 000 - 10 000 USD;
2nd place (in each direction) 2 х 3 500 - 7 000 USD;
3rd place (in each direction) 2 х 2 500 - 5 000 USD;
According to the decision of the International jury, Grand Prix shall not be awarded if no candidate is determined.
According to the decision of the International jury, only Grand Prix will not be divided. Cash prizes for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places can be divided.
16. Participants who win the recognition of the organizers, creative associations, funds, other independent organizations and fans in nominations such as “The youngest bakhshi art participant”, “The best participant recognized by fans”, “The best musical instrument performer”.
Rights of the Organizer
17. The Organizer has the following rights:
- to broadcast and permit other organizations to broadcast the performance of the festival participants;
- to hold the festival, distribute all types of audio, video recordings, printed materials and other materials developed during and after the festival;
- all materials provided to the Organizing Committee by individuals and legal entities wishing to participate in the festival may be used for advertising purposes;
- to attract leading world experts and art historians to hold the festival.