The Association of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers in Israel, which protects creators’ rights, held its 69th annual awards ceremony for achievements in concert music, literature, and poetry at ACUM’s Beit HaYotzer (Creator’s House) in Tel Aviv Port.
Hosted by Israeli musician and radio host Dori Ben-Ze’ev, the event saw Lifetime Achievement awards being presented to celebrated author Etgar Keret and to Hagar Kadima, one of Israel’s leading composers and the first Israeli woman to receive a doctorate in composition.
The ACUM Board of Directors Prize went to Rafi Kadishzon for his lifelong contribution to Israeli music as a composer, arranger, performer, and educator. Kadishzon has composed music for hundreds of theatrical productions, films, dance performances, and TV shows.
The awards in literature were given to:
• Life Skills by Amichai Shalev, a manuscript about a young British-Jewish woman from a broken family who suffers from an eating disorder and seeks a fresh start in Israel.
• All My Wishes by Irit Shoshani, which tells the story of a child whose home is destroyed by a rocket. While searching for his lost dog, he cares for a stray in need.
• Claws by Orly Asis, a collection praised for its raw honesty and emotionally powerful language.
• You Can’t See It on Her – The Exterior Looks Fine, But the Chassis Is Completely Shot by Galit Dahan Carlibach, a novel about a woman navigating the polarities of mental illness and self-acceptance.
• My Son Goes Off to War by Tali Ben Anat, a poignant poetry collection expressing a mother’s anguish as her son goes to war.
The music category
In the music category, awards went to:
• Ziv Cojocaru for Run! Into the Circles! Run Out! – praised for its sweeping scope, dramatic contrasts, and orchestral color using a relatively small ensemble.
• Lior Nabok for It Was Too Late for Man, noted for its balance between text and composition, and the refined integration of traditional harmony with modern vocal techniques.
• Oleg Bogod for Crossroads, lauded for its structural precision, emotional impact, and percussive drama.