Mirziyoyev Signs Sweeping Decree to Boost Culture, Arts and Literature

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has signed a decree on the comprehensive development of culture, arts and literature. The document was adopted following a meeting with creative professionals held on June 1 and sets out new support mechanisms for artists, broad tax breaks and budget allocations for the years ahead.

A New System for Nurturing Talent

The decree establishes a network of creative associations spanning theatre, film, dance, opera, folklore, variety arts, academic and traditional music, fine and applied arts, and literature. The creative directors of these associations and their co-directors will be appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers.

To fund promising projects and support production activities, a state target fund called "Investment in Creativity" will be set up under the Ministry of Culture. By July 1, 2026, two hundred billion soums will be transferred to the fund from the national budget, with the same amount to be allocated annually from 2027 onward.

Among the decree's key targets: a twenty percent increase in the number of participants at international competitions by 2027 and a thirty percent increase in the number of winners. By 2030, those figures are expected to grow fivefold and twofold respectively.

Prizes, Fees and Free Travel

From 2027, a National Congress of Creators will be held annually to recognize the year's most distinguished cultural figures. Top honorees will receive a monthly stipend of five million soums for one year, free travel by plane, train and public transport across Uzbekistan for three years, and full coverage of medical expenses at state healthcare facilities.

One-time cash prizes for winners and runners-up at prestigious international and national competitions will be introduced from September 1, 2026. A grand prix or first place at an international competition will carry a prize of three hundred million soums, second place two hundred million, and third place one hundred million soums. At the national level, the prizes will be one hundred, fifty and twenty-five million soums respectively. Teachers and accompanists who prepared the winners will receive a salary supplement of up to one hundred percent for one year.

The state also commits to providing housing for one thousand needy cultural workers annually: half of the mortgage down payment will be covered from the budget, as will a portion of the interest payments during the first five years. For those working outside their home region without their own housing, a monthly rent subsidy is introduced — six base calculation units in Tashkent and four in the regions.

Tax Holidays for the Private Sector

From September 1, 2026 through January 1, 2036, organisations whose primary activities involve entertainment events, cinematography or children's content creation — as well as private theatres, theatre studios and private arts education institutions — will be exempt from VAT, corporate income tax, turnover tax, land tax and property tax. Employees of these organisations will also be exempt from personal income tax.

Foreign companies filming in Uzbekistan will not have the relevant income included in the withholding tax base.

Theatre Subsidies and Audience Vouchers

State and private theatres will receive a per-ticket subsidy: ten thousand soums for performances on home stages and twenty thousand for touring productions. Private theatres and studio theatres will have their costs covered for staging up to fifty productions per year, along with rental payments for private venues of up to fifty base calculation units per month. During off-hours, state cultural venues will be made available to private theatres for performances free of charge.

From October 1, 2026, five hundred thousand teachers, doctors, civil servants, high-achieving students and university students — along with one child from each of one hundred thousand families on the Social Registry and children with disabilities — will receive free annual vouchers for theatres, cinemas and concerts. The funds will be credited to named social cards.

Film Industry Reform

On the film front, the decree dismantles several oversight bodies: the republican commission for cinema development, the Artistic Council under the Cinema Agency, and the practice of attaching advisory groups to individual film projects. In their place, paid expert panels drawn from industry professionals will be assembled for specific state-commissioned films.

The Uzbekfilm studio is granted "national" status and reoriented toward serving both domestic and international film studios. Starting in 2027, five billion soums will be allocated annually to support the national film award, the Golden Humo.

Education and the Regions

From the 2026/2027 academic year, ten schools in each region of the country will pilot an enhanced "Art" curriculum for music, visual arts and technology, modelled on leading international practice. Every general secondary school will be required to run at least four creative clubs in music and the arts.

The decree also calls for between fifty and one hundred model neighbourhood libraries and bookshops to be opened in remote communities by the end of 2026. From January 1, 2027, access to the Mutolaa reading platform will be made available at all of them.