Winners of the "Russia — Land of Traditional Values" contest honoured at the National Centre RUSSIA

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On 16 January, the National Centre RUSSIA hosted a ceremonial event honouring the winners of the nationwide contest "Russia — Land of Traditional Values". The event brought together children, teenagers and young people from across Russia and seven foreign countries. More than 60 talented participants from 29 Russian regions became winners and laureates, presenting stories of traditional spiritual and moral values through actions.

"The world, unfortunately, has reached a point where, under various pretexts — whether the creation of a so-called 'new ethics' or the rejection of supposedly outdated principles and norms — it has first gradually and then rapidly moved towards chaos and a loss of understanding of what is right and what is wrong. Some people defined traditional values for themselves long ago and pass them down from generation to generation. It is important that many convey these values through family traditions. What does it mean to engage compatriots in supporting traditional values? Look at the tremendous work our compatriots are doing to promote and preserve the Russian language. Is this not a traditional value? Is it not part of love for the Motherland? The language people speak at home, within the family, is an expression of love for their own culture and knowledge of it," said the Director of the Information and Press Department and Official Spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Maria Zakharova.

The contest is aimed at promoting traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, including a strong family, patriotism, dignity, historical memory, continuity between generations, service to the Fatherland, justice and compassion. A defining feature of every entry was an "act" — a concrete action through which participants expressed a value, such as creating a family album, helping homeless animals, organising meetings with relatives, or giving performances for soldiers taking part in the special military operation.

In the National Centre RUSSIA’s special nomination "Best Work about a Strong Family", the winner was 12-year-old Daria Dubinina from the Kursk region. She created a video about her close-knit family, which includes four children; the youngest sister was adopted. Four dogs also live with the children in the family.

The award was presented by the Deputy Director General of the National Centre RUSSIA, Anastasia Zvyagina.

"The National Centre RUSSIA was created by our President so that everyone who comes here for tours or events feels proud of our country and loves it even more. For me, Russia is first and foremost the people who support others and give kindness. Especially those who are currently defending our country in the special military operation. I would like to thank them separately. I will be presenting the award in the 'Best Work about a Strong Family' nomination. The family is the foundation of every person’s upbringing and, therefore, the foundation of our country’s future. It is within the family that the principles of kindness, attitudes towards others, and an understanding that life requires overcoming difficulties and taking responsibility for one’s actions are formed. As our President has said, Russia is a family of families," said Anastasia Zvyagina.

A total of 4,310 entries were submitted to the contest. Participants were required to choose one traditional Russian value, carry out an action that reflected it, and present it in a contest entry — as a text, a drawing, or a short video — before submitting their work via the contest website.

"Today, preserving and passing on traditional spiritual and moral values is a strategic task on which the country’s future depends. That is why it is so important to support youth initiatives and create platforms for dialogue between generations. The figure of more than 15,000 applications submitted by project participants clearly shows that young people not only share traditional spiritual and moral values, but also actively promote them. Our task, as those responsible for implementing state youth policy, is to provide systematic support for this initiative," emphasised the Director of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Rospatriotcentre", Yelena Belikova.

The ceremony was attended by state and public figures, senators and ministers, diplomats, heads of leading Russian universities, representatives of the media, organisations involved in patriotic education of young people, members of the cultural intelligentsia, and representatives of the business community.

"As adults — as mothers and fathers — each of us is sometimes asked what traditional Russian values are. Let us all agree that, at times, we — parents, teachers and mentors — find ourselves at a loss when answering this seemingly simple question… But how, then, can children themselves quickly and easily respond to any challenge, with confidence and without hesitation, saying: ‘I am Russian, a citizen of our great country, a grandchild of valiant ancestors, a winner’? Yet everything is simpler than it seems. This cultural code is embedded in each of us. Every one of us is ready to prove that we — together — are the best," noted the organiser of the ceremony, the President of the ANO "Innovation Centre for the Development and Education of Children and Youth", Yekaterina Averkieva.

The contest is organised by the ANO "Innovation Centre for the Development and Education of Children and Youth" with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, the Government of Moscow, the Russian Orthodox Church, the Federation Council, the State Duma, the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, the Russian Military Historical Society, Rosmolodezh, the Russian society Znanie, TASS, Public Television of Russia, Moscow State Pedagogical University, and a number of other partners. The National Centre RUSSIA acted as a co-organiser of the nationwide contest "Russia — Land of Traditional Values".