"Dreams of the Future" contest by the National Centre RUSSIA attracted nearly four thousand participants

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The National Centre RUSSIA has completed the submission stage for the All-Russian video essay contest "Dreams of the Future". A total of 792 team applications were registered, each consisting of five members.

The main goal of the project is to spark the younger generation’s interest in the work of science fiction writers. The competition continues the effort to revive society’s engagement with future-oriented thinking, which began at the International Symposium "Inventing the Future." The event is held as part of the Decade of Science and Technology.

The competition includes school and university students from all 89 regions of Russia. Twenty teams will advance to the finals, six of which will be named winners and prize-winners. All finalists will be invited to Moscow on 1 June. The winners will be announced on International Children's Day during an official awards ceremony at the National Centre RUSSIA. They will receive valuable prizes such as laptops, headphones, and smartphones.

The competition was held in two age categories: 14–16 and 17–18 years. The majority of submissions came from participants in the 14–16 age group — 608 teams.

Top 10 regions by number of team applications:

1.  Stavropol region

2.  Lugansk People's Republic

3.  Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area — Yugra

4.  Rostov region

5.  City of Moscow

6.  Moscow region

7.  Donetsk People's Republic

8.  Krasnodar region

9.  Republic of Dagestan

10.  City of Saint Petersburg

Participation in the contest required the creation of a video essay starting with the words "We want to create a future where...", with a mandatory reference to works of Soviet and Russian science fiction from a recommended list.

Top 10 selected books:

1. Ivan Yefremov. Andromeda: A Space-Age Tale (novel)

2. Alexander Belyaev. Amphibian Man (novel)

3. Alexander Belyaev. Professor Dowell's Head (novel)

4. Alexander Belyaev. Leap into Nothingness (novel)

5. Sergei Lukyanenko. Labyrinth of Reflections (novel)

6. Alexander Belyaev. Ariel (novel)

7. Alexander Abramov, Sergei Abramov. Riders from Nowhere (novel)

8. Alexander Abramov, Sergei Abramov. Paradise Without Memory (novel)

9. Ivan Yefremov. The Bull's Hour (novel)

10. Grigory Adamov. The Mystery of the Two Oceans (novel)

Nine out of the ten top books belong to the golden legacy of Russian science fiction, specifically from the Soviet period. Since the release of Aelita in 1923, themes, protagonists, and narrative styles in Soviet science fiction have evolved. What has remained unchanged in the works of genre masters and veterans is the aspiration not only to entertain readers but also to prompt reflection on the problems and challenges faced by humanity. In addition to that, they reminded us of the human ability to overcome both imagined fears and real hardships on the path to a dream and a better future.

"Today, science fiction has almost entirely become an entertainment genre. However, the teams’ choices clearly show that genuine interest in the genre lies not only in thrilling plots and astonishing discoveries but also in its capacity to reflect and dream about the future. And this is undoubtedly a good sign," said Sergei Shikarev, critic, science fiction historian, author of the books 13 and Coordinates of Fiction, and compiler of the science fiction anthologies Futuriada and New Future.

The list also includes works by writers such as Sergei Lukyanenko, Alexander and Sergei Abramov, Vasily Golovachev, Yevgeny Voikunsky, Isai Lukodyanov, Alexander Gromov, Anatoly Dneprov, Yevgeny Gulyakovsky, Alexander Kazantsev, Anton Karelin, Vladislav Krapivin, Olga Larionova, Georgy Martynov, Alexander Mirer, Vladimir Mikhailov, Vladimir Obruchev, Sergei Pavlov, Vadim Panov, Vyacheslav Rybakov, and Sergei Snegov.

The contest is held as part of the Decade of Science and Technology with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, the Movement of the First, the Coordinating Council for Youth Affairs in Science and Education under the Presidential Council for Science and Education of the Russian Federation, the Russian State Library for Young Adults, the Council for Science Fiction and Adventure Literature of the Union of Writers of Russia, the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodyozh), the ArtMasters autonomous non-profit organization, the ANO "Russia – Land of Opportunity," the All-Russian festival "NAUKA 0+," the Innovation Centre for the Development and ANO "Upbringing of Children and Youth," the technological conference Startup Village, and the National Cyber-Physical Platform "Berloga."

The literary partner of the contest is the Eksmo-AST publishing group, the official bookstore chain is Chitai-Gorod, the social content partner is "YOUF — Your Media About Reading", and the analytical partner is VCIOM.

Participants will also be able to compete for an additional nomination based on readers’ votes — a year’s supply of books from Chitai-Gorod and the youth media outlet "YOUF — Your Media About Reading."

As part of the contest, the National Centre RUSSIA has prepared a series of practical workshops, during which registered participants were able to go through the entire process of video production — from idea development to final editing.

Starting from 1 May, these sessions will be available to everyone in a dedicated section on the website dream.russia.ru.