On November 21–22, 2024, the award ceremony for the winners and final events of the "Bilingva" competition took place in Moscow. This year marked the tenth edition of the contest. Over the years, more than 4,500 participants from around the world have taken part. In 2024, the essays submitted for the competition were written in 41 languages of Russia and the world.
The competition was initiated by the Department of National Policy and Interregional Relations of Moscow, in cooperation with the ANO Center for Promoting Interethnic Education "ETHNOSPHERE" and Moscow Pedagogical State University, and the House of Peoples of Russia. The competition aims to support native languages and foster a positive attitude toward the languages and cultures of the peoples of Russia in children and youth. "Bilingva" is an opportunity to show the world the value of one's native language!
The finalists of the competition came from not only many regions of Russia but also from China, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, the Slovak Republic, and Moldova (Transnistria).
The authors of the essays explored the topic in two languages: their native language and Russian. The winners of the special nominations of the House of Peoples of Russia, dedicated to the 225th anniversary of A.S. Pushkin: "And every living being in that language will call me": The Influence of A.S. Pushkin on the Culture of My Nation and "The Genius of My Nation" were awarded by Elena Bashkurova, Deputy Director of the House of Peoples of Russia, and Feride Aronia, Head of the Language Department of the House. The jury highly praised the work of Slovak student Michal Mihalev, who wrote about the influence of A.S. Pushkin's work on Slovak culture. Slovak was represented for the first time in the competition. Michal became the 1st degree laureate! A trip to Moscow was the reward. Here is how Michal described his experience with "Bilingva":
"I am from Slovakia, studying at the Faculty of Law at the University of Košice. I wrote an essay on the influence of Pushkin’s literature on Slovak culture. There are not many young people in Slovakia studying the Russian language, but I hope this will change, partly thanks to 'Bilingva.'
The rich cultural program, festive atmosphere, and communication with peers from different countries will remain in the memory of all participants for a long time.
We look forward to "Bilingva 2025"!
Anna Nemcova, Russian language teacherP. Gorov Gymnasium, Michalovce, Slovakia