His 2022 awards were announced and presented by the Academy of Athens yesterday at a commemorative session. The laureates awarded by Academy President Antonios Regakos include representatives of the country’s Armed Forces, cardiologist Vassilios-Dionysios Kokkinos, former Greek Ambassador to Cairo Nikolaos Garilidis, and “Miss Rinio”, the only inhabitant of the rocky Chinese island.

In the category of literature and fine arts, the writers Haris Iosif and Sakis Serefas, the philologist Evangelos Alexiou, the composer Marios Ilias, the sculptors Christos Riganas, Kyriakos Rokos and Kostas Dikefalos, the archaeologist Anastasia Giagaki, the scientific publication Ta Istorika, etc.

Of particular interest were the awards of the Kostas and Eleni Urani Foundation: in addition to Maria Iliou (awarded for the book “Friendship in Smyrna”, published by Minoas), Venetia Apostolida (for “Literature at the University of Sciences of Modern Greek Philology (1942-1982)” – ed. Polis ) and Evgenios Trivizas (“NO! … You won’t hit us in the nose” – ed. Ethniko Tipografio), the poet Titos Patrikios, who recently did not get the necessary votes of the Academy members in order to himself be elected an academician. At that time, in the department of poetry Poets Nasos Vagenas and Michalis Ganas also applied for the Academy, who also did not get the necessary votes and yesterday received honors for all their work.

Finally, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s award “for his extensive philanthropic work” deserves attention. From the United States, where he performs, the Greek basketball player sent thanks.