Istanbul: Eranda Mahagamage, a Sri Lankan filmmaker and researcher, was awarded the Special Jury Award at the ‘Living in Trkiye’ International Essay Competition.

According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Sri Lanka, the competition was jointly organized by the Turkish Language and Literature Association (TDED) and the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB). It concluded with an award ceremony held at the historic Rami Library in Istanbul on 18 April 2025.

The event was attended by significant figures including the Minister of National Education of Trkiye, Prof. Yusuf Tekin, YTB President Abdullah Eren, and former Member of the National Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Commission of the Grand National Assembly of Trkiye, Ekrem Erdem. Diplomats, academics, jury members, and representatives from the international student community in Trkiye were also present.

The competition attracted over 300 essay submissions from international students who had studied, lived, or held significant memo
ries of Trkiye. Fourteen essays were selected for publication, with top honours awarded to students from countries where Turkish is spoken natively. Mahagamage’s essay was recognized for its depth, originality, and literary merit, earning him the prestigious Special Jury Award.

Mahagamage’s success underscores the intellectual and creative contributions of Sri Lankans abroad and signifies the growing educational and cultural connections between Sri Lanka and Trkiye.