Laureates of the jubilee Pushkin Competition were awarded in Moscow

A solemn ceremony of awarding the winners of the XXV International Pushkin Competition, which has been held by Rossiyskaya Gazeta in cooperation with the Moscow Government for a quarter of a century, took place in the capital.

The theme of the anniversary year was deep and symbolic: "Victory. What does this mean for you and your students?" The competition received a record number of entries – more than 500 from 28 countries.: Russian speakers from China, Mongolia, and India are actively involved, and year after year, works are received from Bulgaria and Hungary, Slovakia, and Greece. For the first time, the geography of the project expanded to Madagascar.

50 winners from five continents arrived in Moscow. The foreign guests enjoyed a rich cultural program with a guided tour of the Moskva River, during which they saw the Kremlin, Stalin's skyscrapers, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the monument to Peter I and other sights of the capital.

The award ceremony took place at the historic National Hotel, overlooking Red Square. Among the winners are Russian scholars from all over the world who "carry a great mission that requires courage in many countries," said Mikhail Shvydkoi, Special Representative of the President of Russia for International Cultural Cooperation.

"A favorite quote from teachers' letters: "After my trip to Moscow, not only did I have a class, even my mother-in-law started speaking Russian." It's about optimism, without which you can't take on any task," said Yadviga Yuferova, chairman of the organizing committee of the competition, "Moscow has created all the conditions for a decent reception of our laureates."

The International Pushkin Competition has been held since 2000. The project was born in response to the challenges of that time, after the native Russian language became a foreign language for millions of people during the breakup of the Soviet empire. For 25 years, Rossiyskaya Gazeta has been supporting teachers of the Russian language abroad, who, despite everything, continue to sow reasonable, kind, eternal things.

"I see no contradiction in the fact that both your native language and Russian coexist in your countries. I sincerely thank the teachers for their hard work," Pavel Negoitsa, CEO of Rossiyskaya Gazeta, addressed the laureates.