Ulucay Akif

Ulucay Akif is one of Azerbaijan's prominent young writers, journalists, and media executives. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Kulis.az, APA Media Group's literary and cultural platform, where he leads the website's editorial policy, literary projects, and content strategy.

Kulis.az is one of Azerbaijan's leading digital platforms dedicated to literature, culture, and the arts. The platform regularly publishes interviews with renowned authors, literary criticism, opinion pieces, essays, short stories, and special projects supporting emerging writers. Under his leadership, Kulis.az continues to make a significant contribution to the development of Azerbaijan's literary community, promoting new authors and bringing contemporary Azerbaijani literature to a wider audience.

Ulucay Akif is recognized as one of the leading representatives of Azerbaijan's new generation of writers. He is the author of the books "The Women Whose Names I Forgot" (Adını Unutduğum Qadınlar) and "Hide-and-Seek"(Gizlənqaç). He is a member of the Azerbaijan Writers' Union. In addition to his literary works, he is widely appreciated for his essays, opinion pieces, and journalistic writing.

Throughout his literary career, he has received numerous prestigious awards and distinctions. He won second place in the "The Light of Poetry – The Poetry of Işıq" competition organized jointly by the Faculty of Journalism of Baku State University and "Işıq" magazine. He was also the winner of the "Literary Figure" (Ədəbiyyat Adamı) competition organized at Azerbaijan University of Languages with the support of the Creativity Foundation and was presented with the "Literary Figure Award".

In 2024, Ulucay Akif was awarded the Presidential Award for Youth by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. In 2025, he received the "150th Anniversary of Azerbaijani National Press" Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contribution to the development of Azerbaijani journalism. In 2026, he became one of the winners of the journalism writing competition organized by the Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (MEDIA).

Ulucay Akif is also one of the organizers of several major literary initiatives aimed at supporting Azerbaijan's literary community. He is among the organizers of the "Story of the Year" literary competition organized by Kulis.az, which has become one of the country's most prestigious literary contests. The project plays an important role in discovering emerging writers, encouraging new literary talent, and promoting the development of contemporary Azerbaijani fiction.

Today, as Editor-in-Chief of Kulis.az, Ulucay Akif continues to lead the platform's editorial vision, promote Azerbaijani literature and cultural journalism, support emerging authors, develop innovative literary projects, and oversee the production of high-quality literary content.