The competition organized by GlavUpDK achieved the record-breaking popularity this year, with over 600 entries submitted by artists and artisans from Russia and 36 foreign countries. For the first time in the competition's history, winners were determined in three categories: Child Artists (12 – 18 y.o.), Young Artists (18 – 35 y.o.), and the new category, Art Objects.

Maria Zakharova, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation, Director, Information and Press Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Vyacheslav Fatin, Head of GlavUpDK, opened the ceremony and handed out the awards.

Addressing the participants and guests, Maria Zakharova noted that, "We are now going through a veritable global rekindling of interest in Russia. It seemed like we were about to be cancelled and excluded from the global culture agenda, but in fact, all that only caused an incredible surge in interest."

The official ceremony continued with awarding diplomas to the winners.

Irina Deryabina from Simferopol won the Art Objects category. She represented a creative team consisting of her husband, her son, and their creative manager.

Tanya Galeeva (Yekaterinburg) and Maria Vladykina (Donetsk) won awards in the Child Artists category.

Winners in the Young Artists category were:

·         Mikhail Butuzov (Novy Urengoy) – with two entries;

·         Anna Vlasenkova – a Russian national living now in the Republic of Türkiye (Silifke);

·         Maria Gavrilova (Moscow);

·         Aleksandra Gumen (Saint Petersburg);

·         Alina Katsaran (Saint Petersburg);

·         Khadija Meknassi (Pyatigorsk);

·         Anna Churilova (Krasnoarmeysk);

·         Valeria Shipilova (Yekaterinburg);

·         Anastasia Shcheglova (Saint Petersburg);

·         Tanishka Saini (New Delhi, India); and

·        Alejandro Nelson (Havana, Cuba).

Winners residing in the Republic of Cyprus: Aleksandra Murugova (the Child Artists category) and the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Maya Drobnya via her representative) joined the ceremony remotely.

A special section of the ceremony was dedicated to the winners hailing from the Republic of Belarus. Irina Akulovich, Minister-Counselor of the Embassy of Belarus in Russia, handed awards to Ulyana Kachan (the Child Artists category) and Viktoria Dubovets (the Young Artists category) together with Ms. Zakharova and Mr. Fatin.

Winners from the Republic of Indonesia were also a point of focus. Hartyo Harkomoyo, Deputy Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Russian Federation, addressed the audience and handed the award to Fairuz Nur Afifakh (the Young Artists category).

See the full list of winners

Nikolay Shumakov, President of the Russian Union of Architects, Olga Zvonaryova, Manager of Talent Synergy, and Elena Gryaznova, Information Representative of the Union of Artists of Russia, also addressed the winners with kind words.

Tanishka Saini from India was the one to deliver a response from the winners. She said, "I tried to use my modest work to convey a simple, but timeless truth: that beneath our superficial differences, all people on Earth share the same core nature. This idea is deeply in sync with the values BRICS is advocating for. Cultural differences should not keep hearts separated. Quite the opposite, they are destined to become a bridge that strengthens mutual respect, trust, and peaceful co-existence of nations. Their purpose is to serve the Sarvodaya principle, which means uplifting of all, even the lowest ones.”

As the ceremony concluded, guests and participants had a chance to see the exposition of the winning entries decorating the Reception House’s anteroom and take a guided tour of the historical mansion.

On the day of the ceremony, the competition winners were also offered tours to the Center of the History of the Russian Diplomatic Service and the National Center Russia.

Media coverage:

MOSCOW24

TASS

Interfax

RIA Novosti

The Russian World

360 TV channel

Rossiyskaya Gazeta

Russian Union of Architects

MIR 24

TSARGRAD

OTR