Sergei Lukyanenko shared his impressions of the "Dreams of the Future" video essay contest at the National Centre RUSSIA

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The works of science fiction writer Sergei Lukyanenko were among the most frequently quoted by participants of the All-Russian video essay contest "Dreams of the Future." Ahead of the awards ceremony, which will take place on June 1 at the National Centre RUSSIA, the author shared his impressions after watching the contest entries inspired by his books.

"It was interesting to see how the participants reinterpret my books, as every reader always finds something personal in any piece of writing. I often say that a book is a dialogue between the writer and the reader. And even though that dialogue is, in a sense, silent, all the thoughts the author embeds in the text spark a reaction, a debate, a response. That, in fact, is the main appeal of reading. Because cinema and video games affect all the senses and leave no time for reflection. Whereas reading is a process in which people train their minds — which is especially important when you're young," said Sergei Lukyanenko.

The writer also noted that the contest received many compelling entries and could well become a good tradition.

"Young people enjoy filming videos and trying themselves as vloggers or storytellers. I think this also drew their interest to the theme of the future and science fiction. There were interesting stories, attempts to understand and reinterpret classic sci-fi works in a modern context, and even entries that were notable in terms of acting. I think this is a promising start, and this tradition is worth continuing. After all, building the future is a living process in which everyone takes part," said Sergei Lukyanenko. 

The contest "Dreams of the Future" gathered 4,000 participants. It was held in two age categories: 14–16 and 17–18 years old. Schoolchildren and students from all 89 regions of Russia took part in the creative contest. An expert jury selected 20 finalist teams — 10 in each category. The finalists include representatives of all federal districts. The works were assessed by leading authors and professionals in the field of science fiction, including writers from the Eksmo-AST publishing group.

The initiative aims to inspire young people to reflect on the future and to introduce them to the works of science fiction writers. The task for the participants was to create a video essay beginning with the words: "We want to create a future where..." and to include a mandatory reference to a science fiction work from a recommended list. The list was specially compiled for the contest by the Russian State Library for Young Adults and the Council on Science Fiction and Adventure Literature of the Union of Writers of Russia, with the participation of the Eksmo-AST publishing group.

The All-Russian video essay 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 the Scientific and Educational Spheres under the Presidential Council for Science and Education of the Russian Federation, the Russian State Library for Young Adults, the Council on Science Fiction and Adventure Literature of the Union of Writers of Russia, the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh), the ANO "ArtMasters," the ANO "Russia – Land of Opportunity," and the All-Russian Festival "NAUKA 0+," the ANO "Innovative Centre for the Development and Upbringing of Children and Youth," the Startup Village technological conference, and the National Cyber-Physical Platform "Berloga."

As part of the contest, the National Centre RUSSIA prepared a series of practical workshops where registered participants could go through the entire process of creating a video — from developing an idea to final editing. Since May 1, these sessions have been available to everyone in a special section of the website dream.russia.ru.