The awards ceremony of the international campaign “Russkiy Mir – Memory of the Heart”, dedicated to the 65th anniversary of Victory in WWII, took place in Moscow today. The Russkiy Mir Foundation Executive Director Vyacheslav Nikonov handed out the awards to laureates and nominees.
Participants of the awards ceremony included the competition organizers, representatives of political and diplomatic circles, cultural and public figures. The award ceremony coincided with the opening of an exhibition at the photography center of the Journalists Union in Moscow.
Opening the awards ceremony, Vyacheslav Nikonov emphasized that the aim of “Russkiy Mir – Memory of the Heart” is the creation of a single, unified archive of human stories related to the war. The works sent during this stage of the project will serve as the basis for this. Also joining Nikonov were representatives of co-organizers of the campaign and photo exhibit – the All Russia Peace Foundation and the Russian Orthodox Church.
The campaign “Russkiy Mir – Memory of the Heart” was announced at the Russkiy Mir Assembly in November 2009. Then Vyacheslav Nikonov said, “Let’s tell the stories of those we know and love, about those who remain alive in our memories, sincerely and inspirationally. And together with the entire Russkiy Mir, we will pay our respects to their great feats.”
The idea was support by thousands of people throughout the world, compatriot organizations, search teams, school museums, and media. Dozens of the Foundation’s Russian Centers throughout the world hosted conferences, film lectures, discussions and roundtables. Compatriots met with veterans, cared for their memorials and created memorial groves.
The competition of research and creative work received over 1200 entries from 36 countries worldwide. They included the stories for the feats of grandfathers and great-grandfathers, photographs, films and multimedia presentations from Russia, Moldova, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Poland. Unique stories about the fates of those who fought in the war were sent by compatriots in Argentina, China, Vietnam, Mongolia, Australia and other countries
The jury selected the following winners from the entries:
- Viktor Astakhov, docent of Kharkov Humanities University, Ukraine
- Alexei Babichev, leader of the search group Stalnoye Plamya (Steel Flame), Volgogradskaya Oblast, Russia
- Alla Berezovskaya, journalist, Yurmala, Latvia
- Lyudmila Volodko, head of the Mogilev branch of the public organization “Russkoye Obschestvo”, Belarus
- Natalya Goleva, deputy director of the Voronezh Center for Patriotic Education, Russia
- Sardor Iskhakov, producer and director, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- Dmitry Kabushev, leader of the Klin search group Podvig, Moscow Oblast, Russia
- Edward Kulbaev, director, Alma-ata, Kazakhstan
- Irina Lobodyuk, director for international cooperation at the charity foundation Planeta Detei, Tiraspol, Transdnestria
- Elena Lysova, editor of German-Russian portal, Germany
- Irina Nikitina, deputy director of the Central Library System of Klin, Moscow Oblast, Russia
- Alexei Petrovich, student, director of the Russian Historical-Partiotic Club, Chisnau, Moldova
- Vera Sergeeva, chairman of the municipal council Piskarevka, St. Peterburg, Russia
- Marina Smirnova, president of the charity foundation Planeta Detei, Tiraspol, Transdnestria
- Marina Tae, head of Russkiy Dom – Estonia, Tallinn, Estonia
- Stephan Heinovich, student of international and political studies, Krakow, Poland
- Valery Ananiev, academic secretary, Lotoshin Historical Museum, Moscow Oblast, Russia
- Vladislav Krylovsky, director of the Lik television studio, Moscow, Russia
- Mikhail Lavrentiev, seventh grade student, Moscow, Russia
- Olesya Moiseenko, seventh grade student, Moscow, Russia
- Elena Pinevich, docent of Russian language department, Bauman Moscow State Technical University
- Galina Prokhorova, singer, Moscow, Russia
- Ekaterina Sopina, pensioner, Moscow, Russia
- Valentin Starodub, Pushkin State Institute of Russian Language, Moscow, Russia
- Nikolai Chistyakov, pensioner, regional expert, Moscow Oblast, Russia
The awards ceremony coincided with the opening of the Memory of the Heart photo exhibit. More than 500 images of that era from the archives of the center and 200 photographs from Soviet frontline photographers are on display.
The exhibit includes rare and previously unknown to the public photographs. Particular attention is given to soldiers’ portraits. The exhibit tells the story of the war, its key moments and battles: the defense of Moscow, the battle for Stalingrad, the Kursk battle, the blockade of Leningrad, victory in Berlin, meeting at the Elbe and the Nurenburg trials. The exhibit also includes pictures sent in as a part of the competition.
The exhibition will be open to the public until May 23, 2010.
