Recently, the Department of Humanities of Mingachevir State University organized an essay competition titled “The Cry of My Nation in Bakhtiyar’s Verses,” dedicated to the 100th anniversary of People’s Poet Bakhtiyar Vahabzade. The purpose of the competition was to introduce the younger generation to the great poet’s rich literary heritage and to inspire students’ interest in national spirit, patriotism, and ideals of freedom.

A large number of students and master’s degree candidates from various specialties and faculties of the university participated in the competition. The participants presented essays reflecting the calls for national freedom, the spiritual voice of the people, and the spirit of struggle in Bakhtiyar Vahabzade’s творчество.

The essays were evaluated on a 100-point scale by Gunel Yunusova, Associate Professor of the Department of Humanities and Doctor of Philosophy in Philology; senior lecturers Saadat Agakishiyeva, Ayna Babazade, and Parvin Huseynova; and lecturers Svetlana Balakishiyeva and Sona Msamammadova. The evaluation criteria included relevance to the topic, richness of content, logical structure, originality, clarity of style, and justification of conclusions.

According to the results:

• Ilaha Ibrahimova won first place with the essay “Verses That Break the Chains: Vahabzade’s Philosophy of Freedom”;
• Zeynab Mehralizada took second place with the essay “The Cry of My Nation in Bakhtiyar’s Verses”;
• Orkhan Agakishiyev with “The Voice of the People in Bakhtiyar’s Verses” and Jamila Jafarova with “Bakhtiyar’s Pen: A Mirror of the National Spirit” shared third place.

Certificates and gifts were presented to the winners whose essays received high praise from the jury panel.

The competition was regarded as a meaningful literary initiative that contributed to increasing students’ interest in national values, the ideology of Azerbaijanism, and the literary legacy of Bakhtiyar Vahabzade.