The application period for the video essay competition "Dreams of the Future" is coming to an end.

      April 23, 2026 15:35 Society The registration for the II Video Essay Contest "Dreams of the Future" (12+) at the National Center "Russia" is nearing completion. The project gives young people the opportunity to share their vision of the future in a dynamic video format. Participants can try their hand in four main and two special nominations. Registration will continue until April 27, and essay submissions will be accepted until April 30.

      Teams from the regions of Russia, CIS countries, and Transnistria are invited to participate, consisting of three members in the junior (12–15 years) and senior (16–18 years) age categories. More than 2,200 participants from 85 regions of the Russian Federation, as well as from the Transnistrian Republic, Moldova, Armenia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan have already registered for the contest.

      Participating teams must prepare a video on one of the topics: "Science Unites," "Technology and Nature," "The Future is Built Today," "Space." They can also try their hand in the special nominations of the Skolkovo Foundation and "Reader's Choice" (a nomination from the federal network of bookstores "Chitai-Gorod," media about reading YF, and the Academy "Hetchhog").

      A mandatory condition is to combine AI-generated content with live footage featuring all team members in their video essay. The video length should be between 1 to 3 minutes. The video essay must be published on the team's page on the social network VKontakte, and then the link to the video should be uploaded in the personal account on the official contest website. After moderation, the video essays will be sent for evaluation by an expert jury.

      The jury will consist of well-known science fiction writers, experts in media, culture, science, and AI technologies. They will evaluate the works based on the following criteria: relevance to the chosen topic, quality of video footage, sound and editing, originality of presentation, artistry, quality of AI technology use, references to science fiction literature, games, and film works. The jury will award an additional point to the team for references to works from the recommended reading list.

      The best works will be announced on June 7 at the awards ceremony at the National Center "Russia." Winners and prize-winners will receive valuable prizes: a laptop for first place, a tablet for second, and a smartphone for third. A special prize from the General Director of the National Center "Russia," Natalia Virtuzova, will be a trip to one of the branches of the National Center "Russia" for all team members.

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