The Akıngüç 2025 Awards, organized under the theme "Tools of the Future in Education: Artificial Intelligence and Beyond", were presented at a ceremony held in honor of the 100th birthday of Civil Engineer Fahamettin Akıngüç, Honorary President of Kültür College, Kültür College Foundation, and Istanbul Kültür Education Institutions.

The ceremony, held on Thursday, January 8, 2026, at the Akıngüç Auditorium and Art Center in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy Campus, awarded the Akıngüç 2025 First Prize to Prof. Dr. K. Zülfikar Deniz for his project titled "Artificial Intelligence Supported Individualized Learning System." The award was presented to Prof. Dr. Deniz by Gül Akıngüç, Honorary Member of the Kültür College Foundation, on behalf of the Akıngüç Family. The Akıngüç 2025 Honorable Mention Award went to Prof. Dr. Turgay Tugay Bilgin for his project titled “A Turkish Python Code Editor (PyNar) Capable of Interactive Guidance with Dialogue-Based Intelligent Agents by Analyzing User Errors.”

2025 Akıngüç Awards: An Investment in the Future

Speaking at the ceremony, Istanbul Kültür University Rector Prof. Dr. Fadime Üney Yüksektepe stated that the Akıngüç Awards were launched in the 2016-2017 academic year with the support of the Akıngüç Family; and that they have met with valuable names from the world of science and culture in many fields, primarily law, art, and basic sciences. Emphasizing that the theme of the 2025 award was determined around artificial intelligence, one of the fundamental dynamics shaping the future of education, Prof. Dr. Yüksektepe said that all the works participating in the application process were promising for the future of education in our country.

Prof. Dr. Yüksektepe expressed the importance of the ceremony, dedicated to the 100th birthday of the University's Founder and Honorary President Fahamettin Akıngüç, with the following words: "Our Honorary President's 100th birthday reminded us once again of the importance of growing old by creating value for us and the new generations to come."

100th Birthday Celebration for Education Engineer Fahamettin Akıngüç

The Akıngüç Award Ceremony was held within the scope of the 100th birthday of Civil Engineer Fahamettin Akıngüç, the Founder of Kültür College, Istanbul Kültür University and Kültür College Foundation, which was celebrated on January 8, 2026.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Bahar Akıngüç Günver, the Chair of the Board of Trustees of Istanbul Kültür University, stated that the Akıngüç Awards are a concrete reflection of Fahamettin Akıngüç's passion for education and his understanding of lifelong learning; she stated that his approach, which values ​​everyone who researches, questions, produces, and contributes, presents an exemplary portrait in terms of educational management.

Ful Akıngüç, President of the Kültür College Foundation and Istanbul Kültür Educational Institutions, emphasized that Civil Engineer Fahamettin Akıngüç, born in 1926, whom she described as an educational doyen, viewed education not merely as a field of work, but as a philosophy of life centered on people, labor, culture, and art. Ful Akıngüç noted that Fahamettin Akıngüç's humanist values, shaped by scientific management principles, continue to be the most fundamental guide in all schools from kindergarten to university, within the foundation, and in the 65-year-old Kültür tradition.

Lale Akıngüç, Vice President of the Kültür College Foundation Board of Directors and Member of the Board of Trustees of Istanbul Kültür University, also stated that the Akıngüç Awards are a symbol of the Akıngüç Family's respect for science and culture, and that the life culture and intellectual depth of Founder and Honorary President Fahamettin Akıngüç will continue to be passed on to future generations.