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The President presented the award in the category Popularising Russia’s Natural, Historical and Cultural Heritage. The award went to the documentary film The Vostok Station. On the Threshold of Life(director and camerawoman Olga Stefanova, script by Sergei Khovenko).

Prizes were also awarded in the categories Expeditions, Scientific Research, Education, and Public Recognition.

In the Expeditions category, the award went to the project Hydrographical research to build a digital model of the Russian sector’s seabed relief in the Central Arctic, carried out by Yekaterina Gordeyeva and Nina Chervyakova from the State Navigation and Hydrographical Research Institute. Their project presented for the first time, detailed photography of the seabed relief in difficult icy conditions.

The winners in the nomination Scientific Research were Svetlana Malkhazova and Varvara Mironova from Moscow State University with their project Medical Geographical Atlas of Russia. Natural hotbed diseases. This 2015 publication is unique in its kind in presenting information on natural hotbed diseases in Russia and was designed to help doctors in their efforts to prevent mass disease outbreaks.

The award in the Public Recognition category was presented to the officers of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Emergency Service Nikolai Nakhodkin and Afanasy Nikolayev for their comprehensive expedition project Cold Pole Joins the Oceans. This expedition marked a world first as its participants travelled by boat via natural waterways from the Pacific Ocean to the Arctic Ocean. The aim was to obtain information on little known territories and evaluate the route’s tourist potential.

The RGO award in the Education category went to the project Tatarstan at your Fingertips, carried out by workers at the Tatarstan Republic Special Library for the Visually Impaired Nail Safargaleyev and Gelyusa Zakirova. Their project publishes books on geographical, historical and cultural sites in Tatarstan in the Tatar language in special format for the visually impaired. They have already published 27 books.

During the ceremony, Mr Putin spoke briefly with two young geographers. Timofei Tsoi, aged 5, and Miroslav Oskirko, aged 9, took part in two TV programmes, where they demonstrated extraordinary geographical knowledge. Timofei Tsoi has learned the names of all of the world’s countries and their capitals and recognises their flags, while Miroslav Oskirko has been dubbed “the person with satellite vision” for his ability to recognise any country in the world or any Russian region by its outlines on the map.

Later, the President visited an exhibition of works that won the RGO competition The Most Beautiful Country. Over 4.5 months, 23,000 photographers from Russia and abroad sent in more than 110,000 photos to the competition.

The Russian Geographical Society award recognises work in national geography, ecology, and preserving and popularising Russia’s natural, historical and cultural heritage. The award is presented once every two years and has international status. It was first presented in 2014.

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Speech at a ceremony presenting the RGO’s award

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Friends, let me say a bit more than would usually be said about this last category.

First of all, I want to take this opportunity, which does not come up so often, to thank everyone without exception who is practically involved in the Russian Geographical Society’s life, everyone who under this wonderful organisation’s aegis carries out scientific research, lectures, environmental monitoring, search work and expeditions, everyone working in all the different categories. Of course, I also thank those without whom these projects could not go ahead – the trustees.

You are all engaged in very important and tremendously interesting and fascinating work. Your work offers us examples of constructive and useful participation in our country’s life. I hope that the number of people taking up this kind of activity will keep growing.

The Russian Geographical Society’s volunteer projects and educational projects and its educational films and competitions are gaining ever greater popularity. One of them, the photo competition The Most Beautiful Country (you mentioned it today and I will certainly take a look), attracted more than 23,000 participants from Russia and abroad.

There is also the national geographical dictation. Last year, around 70,000 people took part in it. This year, preliminary figures suggest that the number of participants has already doubled.

Over these last years, the Russian Geographical Society has taken its activity to the national level. It is enough to recall the geography teachers’ congress, the draft concept for teaching geography in schools, and the work to develop educational standards and a new textbook. This is all a positive example of how public initiatives and the initiatives of specialists and enthusiasts can resolve important tasks at the national level.

This kind of active and engaged participation in Russia’s destiny was always one of the RGO’s distinguishing features. It is important that this organisation continues to attract dedicated and purpose-driven people who quite literally broaden the horizons of our knowledge and help millions of people to discover Russia’s history, culture, traditions and natural wealth.

Today, we are recognising those who have achieved significant, exceptional, I would say, results in this mission.

I am sure that the Russian Geographical Society’s award will further encourage the winners to continue their work in science, discovery and education.

Now I want to fulfil the mission that has been entrusted to me and name the winner in the category Popularising Russia’s Natural, Historical and Cultural Heritage.

Opens the envelope

The winner of the Russian Geographical Society’s award in this category is the documentary film Vostok Station. On the Threshold of Life.

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Let me congratulate all of the winners once again and wish you further success. I was very impressed by what was said just now. We will never be far from geography, science, and educational work, and will never be far in these efforts from our history’s glorious pages. Our last winner mentioned Marshal Rokossovsky. This shows that the idea of reviving the Russian Geographical Society has proven its worth.

Thank you very much. I wish you success.