On 10 December 2018 traditional festive events on the occasion of the awarding of the laureates of the Regional Award in fine arts and study of art named after Olexandr Osmerkin in 2018 took place in O.O.Osmerkin Art-Memorial Museum. It was dedicated to the 126th anniversary of the prominent painter and pedagogue O.O.Osmerkin.
    This prestigious art award was founded by Kirovohrad Regional Council in 2005 on the application of Kirovograd Regional Organization of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine. The award is established in three nominations: "national tradition", "modern tendencies", "study and history of arts".
    Laureates of the Regional Award in fine art and study of art named after Olexandr Osmerkin in 2018 according to the decision of the jury were assigned: in the nomination “national tradition” – Valerii Davydov, a member of the National Union of Artist of Ukraine, senior lecturer of the Department of Visual Arts and Design of the Art Faculty of Central Ukrainian State Pedagogical University named after Volodymyr Vynnychenko for the series of portraits created within the National project “Ukrainians around the globe” (2008) and monumental painting of Cathedral church of Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin on the Soborna square in Kropyvnytskyi (2017-2018); in the nomination “modern tendencies” – Mykola Prokopenko, People’s Artist of Ukraine for the creative works of different years; in the nomination “study and history of arts” – a creative team of Kirovohrad Regional Universal Scientific Library named after D.I.Chyzhevskyi: the head of Art Department Svitlana Ushakova and her colleagues Liudmyla Ivantsova and Eleonora Yanchukova for the idea and realization of a creative project – a series of art albums “Nadiia Padurska “Love for life”(2015), “Hryhorii Hnatiuk. Nebelevski Pastorals” (2017), “Volodymyr Kyrianov. The reality of unreal” (2018).
    The head of Kirovohrad Regional Council Olexandr Chornoivanenko awarded the laureates. He handed the Diplomas of standard form, award pins, an honorary prize of Regional Council and Regional State Administration - statuette of "Steppe Eagle" and pecuniary rewards. Although Mykola Prokopenko, People’s  Artist of Ukraine, couldn’t be present at the event his awards were received by the deputy director of Regional Art Museum Hanna Osipova, because the staff of this museum was the one who proposed the artist for the award. Other contenders haven’t been left without prizes – the painters from Svitlovodsk Kateryna Harbenko and Viktoriia Krutko, an artist innovator from Mala Vyska, and also the author of the set of postcard from the series “Architecture of old Elisavethrad” Nataliia Soloviova received Certificates of Acknowledgement from Kirovohrad Regional Council.
    The director of the Department of Culture, Tourism, and Cultural Heritage of Kirovohrad Regional State Administration Valentyna Zhyvotovska made a congratulatory speech, mentioning the beginning of her career in the Regional Universal Scientific Library named after D.I.Chyzhevskyi. She presented red roses to her fellow librarians, laureates. Congratulatory speeches were said by Andrii Khvorost, the head of Kirovohrad Regional Organization of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine and Tamara Samiliak, the director of the publishing house “Imeks-LTD”, who handed to the museum collection art albums, authors of which became laureates of the award. One more gift – a watercolor painting “Autumn arrival” (2018) the museum received from the painter Valerii Davidov, who was congratulated by the staff members of the Regional Art Museum because he headed the museum in the past and opened its exposition for the visitors in 2001 after the restoration.
    Of course, the gem of the event was a music performance of the teachers of one of the best town music schools No.1 named after H.H.Neuhaus, which recently had celebrated its 85th anniversary. “Nocturne” by Fryderyk Chopin performed by the pianist Alina Blokhina and “Melancholy” by Platon Maiboroda performed by the vocalist Ilona Krytska and accompanist Olha Tereshchenko created a lyrical mood and filled all the present with adoration for the art in all its forms.
    All the visitors contemplated paintings in the museum halls. Among them were students of Kirovohrad regional comprehensive educational complex of humane and aesthetic specialization who received souvenir calendars for the next year with the reproduction of the painting by Oleksandr Osmerkin of the late 1930s “Pine” which is shown in the memorial hall of the museum. All his life Olexandr Osmerkin had been adhering to the principle of high art and taught it his students who became famous artists.