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Georgy Isaakyan, winner of the 2021 Presidential Prize for Writing and Art for Children and Young People

The prize was awarded for his outstanding contribution to the development of the national musical theatre traditions for children and young people.

Georgy Isaakyan is the Artistic Director of Moscow State Opera and Ballet Theatre for Young Audience named after Natalia Sats.

Georgy Isaakyan was born in Yerevan on November 7, 1968. He is a citizen of the Russian Federation. He holds the title of Merited Art Professional of the Russian Federation and has been awarded the Order of Friendship. He is a winner of the Russian Federation National Award in Literature and the Arts, the Fyodor Volkov Award given by the Russian Federation Government for his contribution to the development of theatrical art in the Russian Federation, and the Award of the Russian Federation Government in the field of culture. He heads a workshop at the Musical Theatre Department of the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts – GITIS. He is President of the Association of the Musical Theatres of Russia.

Georgy Isaakyan took over the Natalia Sats Theatre in 2010. Over that time, he has staged about 20 p, turning the theatre into a creative space that brings together cutting-edge methods for working with children and teenagers. The company’s repertoire has significantly expanded to more than 50 regular productions, including little-known operas from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The theatre hosts international research conferences, practical seminars, baroque music assemblies, informal meetings with young audiences, music festivals such as See the Music, and Country – Theatre – School. It includes a Children's Studio, which provides training to over 120 participants. The theatre is deservedly considered Russia’s flagship of musical theatres for the younger generation.

In 2017, the theatre was awarded an International Opera Award in the Education and Outreach category.

Georgy Isaakyan’s role in the development of modern musical theatre for young audiences has been significant and multifaceted. Over the years at the Natalia Sats Theatre, he has put immense effort into educating children and young people, fostering their artistic taste and enthusiasm for musical theatre.

Dmitry Lokhov, winner of the 2021 Presidential Prize for Writing and Art for Children and Young People

The prize was awarded for his contribution to the development of national theatrical art, and to the aesthetic and moral education of the younger generation.

Dmitry Lokhov is the Artistic Director of the Arkhangelsk Puppet Theatre.

Dmitry Lokhov was born in Arkhangelsk on September 16, 1960. He is a citizen of the Russian Federation. He holds the title of Merited Art Professional of the Russian Federation and the has been awarded the Order of Friendship. He is a winner of the Fyodor Volkov Award given by the Russian Federation Government and the Golden Mask Russian National Theatre Award. He is an honoured citizen of the Arkhangelsk Region.

Dmitry Lokhov has headed the theatre with half a century of history since 1986 and has turned it into a sustainable and fruitful cultural centre offering a variety of creative projects for audiences of all ages. He has staged about 50 performances at the theatre, which have represented Russia more than once at major international theatre festivals. Almost all of them are designed for a young audience. However, they show a depth of meaning, exquisite acting technique, a sharpness of experience and subtle philosophical irony, which audiences of all ages can appreciate. These performances are anything but empty entertainment; they raise important questions of human existence and consistently affirm high moral values.

The theatre has been implementing long-term spectator-driven projects such as Home Theatre, Family Spectator Club, and Theatre Parent Conferences, which create an atmosphere of kindness, respect, sincerity and peace of mind.

The Arkhangelsk Puppet Theatre was awarded the Harlequin National Theatre Award for its contribution to the development of children's theatre in Russia.

Thanks to Dmitry Lokhov’s years-long activity, the Arkhangelsk Puppet Theatre has become one of the leading puppet theatres in Russia and gained international recognition. Its productions are among the best of Russian puppet theatre, and its educational projects have fostered several generations of spectators.

Nikita Sazonov, winner of the 2021 Presidential Prize for Writing and Art for Children and Young People

The prize was awarded for the development of children's and family museum displays and educational activity.

Nikita Sazonov is the General Director of HPS Pridum, St Petersburg.

Nikita Sazonov was born in Leningrad on July 8, 1976. He is a citizen of the Russian Federation. He is a winner of the professional competitions A Changing Museum in a Changing World, and Museum Olympus.

He graduated from the stage set workshop of the St Petersburg Repin State Academic Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. He has designed the stage sets and costumes for more than 60 theatre productions in Russia and abroad. He has authored a course of lectures on museum design.

Nikita Sazonov is the creator of more than 60 permanent exhibitions, temporary displays and art projects, interactive modules, tourist guides and educational routes in Russian museums. Combining modern museum technologies with the long-standing traditions of Russian museums, he achieves complete visitor immersion in the museum space, arousing the keenest interest in young viewers.

In 2020–2021, Nikita Sazonov developed a series of unique museum projects for children: the Alexander Suvorov interactive children's museum in Novaya Ladoga, the Shah Diamond: The Facets of Alexander Griboyedov's Life tactile mobile school educational project for visually impaired and blind users, the Safekeepers display in Sebezhsky National Park, an interactive museum lab 10,000 Years Before the Tula Kremlin was Built at the Tula Museum Quarter, and the Anthology of Self-Isolation virtual museum project.

Nikita Sazonov’s projects are original and independent displays offering deep immersion into the proposed topic. They reflect a perfect balance of artistic, design and educational components, a subtle understanding of the concept, and the ability to adapt the most complex topic in an appropriate way for children and teenagers.