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Myanmar President U Win Myint (1st R) presents award to U Tin Maung Myint (L, front) during the awarding ceremony of National Literary Awards (NLAs) in Yangon, Myanmar, Nov. 27, 2019. Myanmar authorities presented literary awards to 36 doyen literati for the year 2018 in Yangon on Wednesday. A total of 12 literati were awarded the NLAs and two authors of them -- U Tin Maung Myint and U Htin Aung Chein won lifetime NLAs. (Photo by Haymhan Aung/Xinhua)

YANGON, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar authorities presented literary awards to 36 doyen literati for the year 2018 in Yangon on Wednesday.

A total of 12 literati were awarded the National Literary Awards (NLAs) and two authors of them -- U Tin Maung Myint and U Htin Aung Chein won lifetime NLAs.

President U Win Myint congratulated the award-winning literati and urged them to use the mighty power of pen for the interest of the country and the people.

Twenty-four other literati were also awarded the Sarpay Beikman Manuscript Awards at the Wednesday ceremony.

The NLA award-winning books were selected under 18 categories out of 2,041 books published last year and the Sarpay Beikman award-winning manuscripts were selected out of 248 manuscripts under 13 categories.

The selected genres for the winners of the year 2018 include novels, short stories, collective poems, belles-lettres, translation (fiction), general knowledge (science), general knowledge (applied science), political literature, English literature (general knowledge), aesthetic literature (essays), art, children's literature, youth literature and plays.

"I am honored to be awarded by the president and pleased to witness the country's encouragement on the literature," said U Htun Aung Chein, a lifetime national literary award-winning literati.