Kaya was awarded with one of the five winning prizes in the creative design category in the textile design competition organized by Akbank in 1970 with the final results announced in 1971. One of the competition’s goals was to encourage creativity in applied arts and to use Turkish motifs as the main theme of the event. It was also aimed to sponsor the young designers and to increase awareness toward the Turkish textile industry internationally.
The competition’s jury consisted of; Prof. Bedri Rahmi Eyuboglu, Prof. Sabih Gozen, Harold Schmidt, Mustafa Aslier, Vitali Hakko, and Burhan Oytay.
Kaya’s achievement in this competition also helped her career to start in Vakko, which is one of the most prominent textile design companies in Istanbul, Turkey.