MORE than 42 Myanmar artists and celebrities received Golden Harp awards in recognition of their contributions to art, film, literature, music, social work, religion and business at an awards ceremony held at Thuwunna stadium on September 26.

More than 100 people have received Golden Harp awards since they were launched in 1979 by the artist and beautician Tetgatho Tin Maung Htway. About 2000 people attended the ceremony.

Tetgatho Tin Maung Htway presented the awards of a medal and a golden harp to each winner, donated K50,000 each to three private rural libraries and gave K900,000 each to director U Thukha, actress Daw May Shin and weightlifter U Zaw Wait.

The categories, Miss Photogenic, Miss Fatty, Best Designer, Best Modelling Agency and Best Comedy (film) were also introduced this year.

Maung Su Shin, who received a golden harp award for literature, said during his acceptance speech, he was proud to be in the company of such talented people “Benevolence has beauty. Today’s award recipients are bright stars and their light glows across the country,” he said.

Writer Daw Saw Mone Nyin also gave an address and said she thought Tetgatho Tin Maung Htway choices were right.

“Tetgatho Tin Maung Htway has selected the best artists and awarded them a Golden Harp to show his appreciation of their talents,” she said.

Tetgatho Tin Maung Htway said while not everyone may agree with his choices, he stood by his awards.

“I won’t say that every celebrity who wins an award would have been chosen by other people, but it would be close,” he said.

“It is not easy to describe in one sentence why each winner was chosen, but as an example, Htet Htet Moe Oo (recipient of the Best Advertisement Actress award) is the most well-known and successful actress in her field. She is clever, good natured and sociable.”

Video footage of the ceremony will soon be released on VCD and Tetgatho Tin Maung Htway said the profits from the sales of the disks would be donated to charity.