Winner of the "Teacher of the Year — 2025" contest announced at the National Centre RUSSIA
At the National Centre RUSSIA, as part of the 5th All-Russian Homeroom Teachers’ Forum, the winner of the "Russia's Teacher of the Year — 2025" contest was announced. The title went to Dmitry Balanchukov, a teacher of Chinese and English from the Belgorod region. The winner was announced by the Minister of Education of the Russian Federation, Sergei Kravtsov.
"My thoughts are a little scattered. My colleagues know that professional skills competitions are a team sport. That is why I cannot and do not want to say — and I hope I will never say — that this victory belongs to me alone. It undoubtedly belongs to all of us: to my family, my school, my students and teachers, and to my native Belgorod region," said Dmitry Balanchukov.
Tatyana Terentyeva, Deputy Director General of the Rosatom State Corporation, presented Dmitry Balanchukov with a certificate to take part in the educational expedition "Icebreaker of Knowledge" — a project that offers the opportunity to travel to the North Pole.
The "Russia's Teacher of the Year" contest is a national competition for educators aimed at identifying and supporting the best teachers in the country, promoting their professional growth, and sharing advanced teaching practices. The idea of the contest originated in the USSR in 1989 on the initiative of "Teacher’s Gazette". The first contest was held in 1990, and since 1992 it has been held in Russia as a nationwide event. The organiser is the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation.
The contest consists of two stages: regional selection and the final round, where teachers demonstrate their professional skills through lessons, workshops, teaching interviews, blitz tournaments, and educational projects. Winners and awardees receive cash prizes, symbolic statuettes, and opportunities to take part in television projects and to work as advisers to the Minister of Education and to regional education authorities. The symbol of the contest is the pelican, and its motto is "To teach and to learn".
