Nizhny Novgorod Region received 24 awards at the International Tourism Awards.

      29 November 2025 11:09 Culture and Leisure

      The Nizhny Novgorod Region became the leader in the number of awards at the XIV International Russian Event Awards in event tourism named after Gennady Shatalov. The solemn award ceremony took place at the Nizhny Novgorod Fair, the regional government press service reported.

      In 2025, 473 projects were submitted for the award from 63 regions of Russia, as well as from Belarus and South Ossetia. The final events were held from November 26 to 28.

      Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Gleb Nikitin stressed that the region is rightfully considered one of the centers of event tourism in the country. He recalled that about 150 events are held in the region each year — from music and theatre festivals to gastronomic and environmental projects. According to the head of the region, many of them have become symbols of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.

      Nikitin noted that 24 awards is the best result among all participants of the prize. Experts highly appreciated the diversity of event themes — from the traditional "Golden Khokhloma" festival (0+) to the International Biennale of Environmental Art (0+), which was attended by more than 170,000 people.

      "The region won five grand prix at once; one of the awards was for events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, which is especially valuable to us," the governor emphasized.

      Sergey Yakovlev, Minister of Tourism and Crafts of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, added that the region was recognized as the "Region of Event Tourism." He thanked the expert council for the high appraisal of the projects and expressed confidence in the further development of this sphere.

      Among the projects that received grand prix were the First International Biennale of Environmental Art (0+) (nomination "Best Tourist Event in Culture and Arts" for cities with a population over 1 million) and events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War (nomination "National Event").

      First place in the "Best Business Event" nomination was awarded to the Forum of Creative Territories (18+). Also recognized were the Botanica festival (6+) and the International Forum "Twin Cities and Partners" (18+).

      A special diploma in the nomination "Best Tourist Event in Culture and Arts" among large cities was awarded to the project "Shalyapin. Birth of an Artist" (6+) — for the revival of a historical site. Third place in the same category went to the runway performance "Style of Nadezhda" (6+).

      Three awards went to projects from Semyonov. The grand prix in the nomination for the popularization of folk arts and crafts was awarded to the "Golden Khokhloma" festival (0+). Also recognized were the "Russian Congress" festival (6+) and the project "Soul of the Golden Town" (6+).

      The grand prix for the best hybrid format was won by the "Pushkin Without Borders" festival (0+) from Bolshoye Boldino. In the nomination "Best Idea for a Tourist Event" the winners were the gastronomic festival "Vetluzhskaya Ukha-2026" (0+) and the project "Heritage of Kurkul Bogorodsky" (0+).

      Pavlovsky District received three awards: for the "Okskaya Ukha" festival (0+), the "Grib" and "Lapot" marathon (6+), and the patriotic festival "Field Concert" (0+).

      The family eco-festival "ArtLuga 2025. Place of Power" (0+) took second place in the category related to natural phenomena and geographical features.

      Projects from Chkalovsk were also among the laureates. First place went to the "Russian Wings" festival (0+), third place to the motocross championship in memory of Valery Chkalov (6+). The festival #HeroesOfTheSky. Taste of Aviation (0+) was awarded a special diploma.

      The interregional festival "A Visit to Dunyasha" (0+) from Voznesenskoye took third place in the nomination "Best Ethnocultural Event."

      Two awards went to projects from Gorodets: the "Gingerbread Festival" (0+) and the festival "Brotherhood of Folk Masters" (0+).

      The government added that the development of event tourism in the Nizhny Novgorod Region corresponds to the objectives of the national project "Tourism and Hospitality," implemented at the initiative of President of Russia Vladimir Putin. The project is aimed at creating infrastructure, supporting domestic production, training personnel and promoting travel around the country. It includes five federal directions, including development of the accommodation stock, production of tourist equipment and increasing the tourist attractiveness of regions.

      Earlier it was reported that Nizhny Novgorod was recognized as the best city for doing hotel business. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" has a Telegram channel. Subscribe to stay informed about major events, exclusive materials and operational information.

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