Nizhny Novgorod Region has become one of the leaders in the number of applications for the "Knowledge.Authors" competition.

      April 7, 2026 10:27 Society The Nizhny Novgorod region has become one of the leaders in the number of applications for the All-Russian Poetry Contest named after N.N. Dobronravov "Knowledge.Authors". A total of 5,764 authors from Russia and the Republic of Belarus participated in the contest, presenting 14,680 works across eight thematic categories. Participants from the Nizhny Novgorod region submitted 282 poems to the contest. The next stage will be expert evaluation, after which up to 50 finalists will be determined. The contest is being implemented by the "Knowledge" society at the request of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, as part of the national project "Youth and Children". The most popular thematic categories of the contest were "Love Lyric" (4,034 applications), "About Defenders of the Fatherland" (2,553 applications), and "Open Theme" (2,549 applications), in which authors revealed important personal meanings. Contestants paid great attention to patriotic themes: in the "About the Motherland" category, 2,274 works were submitted. Applications were received from all 89 regions of Russia. The leaders were Moscow (1,489), Moscow region (1,401), Krasnodar Krai (656), St. Petersburg (617), Sverdlovsk region (482), Krasnoyarsk Krai (387), Novosibirsk region (316), Chelyabinsk region (286), Nizhny Novgorod region (282), and Rostov region (269). Many participants submitted several of their works to the contest. Thus, nearly two thousand contestants submitted three applications each. More than a thousand applications were received from contestants aged 14 to 17. "Since the launch, the contest has united almost six thousand authors from Russia and the Republic of Belarus. The youngest participant is only 14 years old, and the oldest is 90. Many authors submitted several of their works to the contest: in total, we received more than 14 thousand poems. One of the most in-demand themes became "About Defenders of the Fatherland" — the works are dedicated to the courage of soldiers and the memory of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. It is also encouraging to see the great attention of participants to children's poetry — in this category, authors presented more than a thousand works. We eagerly await the determination of the best works," noted Kirill Khvil, Deputy General Director of the Russian "Knowledge" Society. As the organizers noted, the interest of participants in children's poems deserves special attention. In this thematic category, authors presented 1,002 works for children's songs. In them, authors speak about the values of family and friendship, kindness and mutual assistance, as well as create a bright world of images and a special atmosphere of childhood — a time of first discoveries, school stories, and sincere belief in miracles. In April, the works of participants will be reviewed by an expert council. Applications will be evaluated based on criteria such as poetic technique, originality and depth of content, song-like quality and melodiousness, thematic relevance, and compositional integrity. As a result, up to 50 finalists will be determined. From May 1 to 20, a public online voting will take place in the national messenger MAX. At the same time, the works of the finalists will be evaluated by the contest jury. The jury includes composer, Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation, Hero of Socialist Labor, and honorary chairman of the jury Alexander Pakhmutova, poet-songwriter, author of lyrics to popular pop songs Alexander Shaganov, People's Artist of Russia, composer, producer Igor Matvienko, composer, arranger, saxophonist, Honored Artist of Russia, Honored Worker of Arts of Russia Vladimir Presnyakov, singer, television and radio host, musician, author-performer of her songs, composer Yuta, and other figures of culture and art. The winners will be announced in May 2026 following a meeting of the contest's organizing committee. In the future, the winners will be able to create songs based on their poems together with a famous Russian composer. They will also have the opportunity to participate in a gala concert on the birthday of N.N. Dobronravov in November 2026. The "Knowledge.Authors" contest is designed to identify talented poets, support literary traditions, preserve the cultural code and richness of the Russian language in song art. Works were accepted in eight thematic categories: "About Defenders of the Fatherland," "About the Motherland," "About Friendship," "For Children," "Love Lyric," "About Family," "Labor, Calling, Choice of Life Path," and "Open Theme." Authors from the Republic of Belarus were also able to participate — as a sign of strengthening cultural ties of the Union State and recognizing the contribution of Nikolai Dobronravov and Alexander Pakhmutova to the national heritage of both countries. Detailed information about each category, deadlines, and participation procedures is presented in the contest regulations. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" has a Telegram channel. Subscribe to stay updated on major events, exclusive materials, and timely information. Copyright © 1999—2025 NIA "Nizhny Novgorod". When reprinting, a hyperlink to NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" is mandatory. This resource may contain materials 18+.