Radio Slovakia International (RSI, Russian editorial office), in cooperation with the European Fund of Slavic Literature and Culture (EFSPK), announced a competition among students of bilingual high schools and schools in Slovakia for the best "Christmas Story."
According to the competition's rules, the story had to be related to Christmas. It could be a real or fictional narrative (about family Christmas traditions, a family legend, a Christmas miracle, or reflections on what Christmas means to me). Participants were invited to write their stories in Russian, with a length of approximately 1.5 pages of typed text.
The EFSPK and Slovak Radio received numerous submissions from students of high schools and schools from various Slovak cities (Bratislava, Košice, Michalovce, Vrbov, and Hriňová). The competition winners were invited to Slovak Radio, where they recorded their stories in the studio. Some of the works included dialogues. The organizers also received non-competitive entries from children (for instance, the Streltsov sisters from Bratislava, aged 6 and 3, created a fairy tale about a Snowflake and recited it by heart in the studio with roles assigned). A touching Christmas story by the mother-daughter duo of the Nemcov family from Michalovce was also recorded.
Twelve Christmas stories will be broadcast on Radio Slovakia International from December 24 to December 26, as well as during the celebration of Orthodox Christmas and Christmas Eve. For the students, this was not only a "writing debut" but also an excellent experience working with radio editor Alyona Ganeva. The unforgettable impressions from recording their stories in a professional studio will stay with them for a long time.
For the competition jury, it was significant that submissions came from both Russian-speaking and Slovak students. The RSI editorial team and EFSPK hope to continue their collaboration and further develop this project.
Authors who submitted their works for the competition will receive memorable prizes from Radio Slovakia International and the European Fund of Slavic Literature and Culture.
N. Yadryshnikova