Results announced for the SHUM All-Russian Youth Media and Journalism Award
On 25 October, the winners of the 2025 SHUM Award were announced at the National Centre RUSSIA in Moscow. The prize fund of 12 million roubles was shared among 36 young media specialists from 19 regions of the country.
Addressing the participants, audience and guests of the award ceremony, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of Russia, Sergei Kiriyenko, said: "This year, 15,000 applications were submitted for participation in the SHUM Award. The community is growing and now brings together more than 25,000 people. But what matters most is not just the numbers — it’s the quality. This is evident both from the applications and from the professionalism of the participants. We have decided that in 2026, at the World Youth Festival in Krasnoyarsk, held in accordance with the Decree of President of Russia Vladimir Putin, the festival’s information directorate will be formed from among SHUM community members. Your skill and passion are more than enough not only to accomplish this task, but also to ensure that our guests from all over the world see what Russia’s young community of journalists and bloggers truly represents — a professional force to be proud of on the global stage."
Sergei Kiriyenko announced the winners of the special category "The Land of Heroes", dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland. The first prize went to Nikolai Yarosh from the Belgorod region for his military-historical project "The Green Book", created to preserve and pass on the living memory of the feats of Russia’s defenders. The project has already attracted more than 180,000 followers.
"The category 'Connecting Link' is especially close to my heart, because our strength lies precisely in the diversity of our country — in its multi-ethnicity, multiculturalism and multiconfessional character. You are working in this direction, showing young people the richness and breadth of Russia, and this is extremely important. Continue doing it, because civic identity, belonging and love for our country are things we must protect and cherish," said Deputy Head of the Presidential Directorate for Public Projects, Alexei Zharich.
Deputy Director General of the National Centre RUSSIA, Anastasia Zvyagina, noted that awards such as SHUM create a living community where participants not only compete, but also meet, collaborate and launch joint projects.
"I watched participants exchange contacts, discuss ideas and plan cooperation. That’s what a real professional community looks like. The category 'Connecting Link' is incredibly important. It was my first time serving as an expert, and one project stood out for me — 'Izbornik' from the Samara region. Its creator, Polina Menshova, and her team produce a science-popular media outlet about the Russian language. The National Centre RUSSIA also runs a project dedicated to the Russian language, titled 'The Great and Mighty Russian Language'. We’re focusing on similar formats. It’s no coincidence that starting next year, we’re launching our 'Young Journalists’ School'. I’m sure the school will find ways to collaborate with SHUM participants," said Anastasia Zvyagina.
Head of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh), Grigory Gurov, announced the winners of the "Family Values" category. The first prize went to blogger Anton Terebilov, a fourth-grade blacksmith and employee of a gas and nuclear turbine manufacturing plant from the Leningrad region. His blog "Grandma’s Working Man" is devoted to intergenerational ties and traditional family values. Anton runs the blog together with his grandmother, who turned 80 on the eve of the ceremony.
"This year, the educational programmes of the SHUM Youth Media Development Centre became part of the national project 'Youth and Children'. SHUM today is not just a youth forum — it is a comprehensive system of projects and initiatives that help young people develop in media and journalism. The award recognises those who shape the information space and create content on a wide range of topics, including priority areas such as agriculture, industry, technology and education. Special attention is given to content promoting values like family, love for one’s homeland and volunteerism," said Grigory Gurov.
In total, the SHUM Award featured 12 thematic categories. Particular attention was paid to industry media covering key economic and social issues, as well as news in healthcare, information technology, education and other fields. For instance, the winner of the "Energy of Youth" category, Ksenia Georgieva from the Chuvash Republic, presented a series of videos about a healthy lifestyle and human immunity. Ksenia, a practising doctor at a cardiac dispensary, is preparing to become a mother for the third time.
The winner of the category for young media specialists, "Bright Start", was Angelina Nesterenko with her project #MadeInIvanovo. In her videos, Angelina explores different working professions by visiting factories and production sites across the Ivanovo region.
The SHUM Award recognised both federal and regional media outlets. In the category "Front Page", the winner was Alexandra Perfilieva from Moscow with her project "Among Our Own" about the lives of foreigners who have moved to Russia. The episodes were broadcast on the "Russia 24" TV channel. Among regional media, the "Voice of the Region" award went to the "Yamolod" project represented by Valery Dubikov from the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area. The "Yamolod" media centre is a platform producing content for young audiences in Yamal and across Russia.
"Today, the SHUM Award has brought together truly talented, bright and dedicated journalists from different regions. These are young professionals who understand that media is a powerful instrument of influence, where there is no room for randomness or empty statements. I am presenting the 'Voice of the Region' award today, but I would like to emphasise that every participant of the SHUM Award represents the voice of the entire country. And I can confidently say that your voices sound strong, beautiful and confident. They resonate far beyond Russia, reaching even neighbouring countries bordering our region, the Kaliningrad region. I congratulate all finalists of the SHUM Award and wish them continued success in their work and towards their goals," said Governor of the Kaliningrad Region Alexei Besprozvannykh.
In the category "Our People", the winner was Daniil Konstantinov from Moscow with his project "Our Heroes", dedicated to participants of the special military operation. Nikolai Vershinin from the Saratov region, representing the student media centre of Saratov State Law Academy, won in the category "Media Record". The category "Heritage of Russia" was won by Daria Naydenova from the Kaliningrad region with her film about the legendary agrochemist Vladimir Panasin. In the category "Native Land", the winner was Evelina Sayranova from St Petersburg, who runs a travel blog about journeys across Russia. The top prize in the category "Looking to the Future" went to Yevgeny Shmatko from Moscow for his podcast "NAUCHPOST" ("SCIENCE POST") about young researchers. In the category "Connecting Link", the winner was Lilia Shirobokova from the Udmurt Republic with her project on local culture, UDMURT AZBAR.
"It is a great honour to meet the leaders of the media industry, the well-known journalists and presenters whose programmes I grew up watching. I’ve always admired them and never dreamed that one of them would be handing me an award today. I’ve never felt such strong support before — and it’s not just about the financial prize, but about everything that the Award and our country are doing for young professionals. When you are given such opportunities, you want to create even more content and bring even more ideas to life. You immediately feel that your work matters," shared Lilia Shirobokova.
The first-place winners received financial support of 600,000 rubles, the runners-up 300,000 rubles each, and the third-place winners 100,000 rubles. In addition to the cash prizes, the winners were presented with gifts from SHUM Award partners. The company Tricolor will support the winners’ projects by providing broadcast rotation on its satellite TV channel "Bolshoy Efir" ("Big Air"). The winners in the categories "Country of Heroes" and "Front Page" will complete a special assignment from the Argumenty i Facty publishing house with a fee and the prospect of future freelance collaboration, while the RT School will offer three winners access to its training courses.
Finalists, winners and prize-winners also received access to professional educational programmes and the opportunity to undertake internships at major companies and affiliated organisations.
A total of 84 media specialists from 34 regions of Russia reached the SHUM Award finals. The decisive stage, held on 24 October, included project presentations before an expert panel. The winners were determined by the combined score of the online and in-person stages, as well as by the public vote, which attracted 280,000 votes.
In total, 15,000 applications were submitted from 89 regions of Russia. Of these, 50 media specialists won the competition to take part in industry blog tours held in August this year. The trips to North Ossetia–Alania, the Chelyabinsk region and the Moscow region included visits to local production facilities, major industrial enterprises, agricultural complexes, historical landmarks and monuments to Heroes of the Great Patriotic War. The blog tours allowed participants to produce stories about heavy industry, innovation in agriculture, as well as local culture, traditions and domestic tourism.
The All-Russian Youth Award in Media and Journalism SHUM is organised by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh) and the Government of the Kaliningrad region through the Youth Centre SHUM. The award is held within the federal project "Russia – Land of Opportunity" under the national project "Youth and Children".
The general partners of the Award are the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom and Rosatom Fuel Company TVEL. The strategic partner is the technology company VK. Official partners include the Russian News Agency TASS, Rambler&Co media holding, News Media Holding and Gazprom-Media Holding.
The discussion will focus on how the role of civil society in election monitoring has evolved.
