The finals of the sixth season of the #WEARETOGETHER International Prize and public voting for the finalists have begun at the International Festival of Youth in Ekaterinburg. Votes can be cast via the MAX messenger until October 15 inclusive. Final results will be determined based on the assessments of the Honorary Jury and additional points from public voting.
“#WEARETOGETHER Prize has been recognizing people and organizations ready to take responsibility and help those in need, for six years now. Selection is made in several stages, and winners gain the opportunity to develop their competencies, join the community, and scale up their projects. In the final stage of the national track, 81 finalists from 35 regions of the country participate, most of them represent Moscow. In this system, the voice of residents matters no less than expert opinion. The people for whom projects were created understand better than any jury what truly works where they live,” noted Tatyana Golikova, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia and Co-Chair of the #WEARETOGETHER Prize Organizing Committee.
1,509 participants from all regions of Russia won at the regional stage, with 582 advancing to the semifinals. The finals feature all Prize categories: public leaders, mentors and NGO heads, authors of social projects from non-profit organizations and companies, as well as constituent entities of the Russian Federation and municipalities with comprehensive programs for developing volunteering, the social NGO sector, and philanthropy.
“In our country, the volunteer movement began its active development ahead of the Sochi Olympics, with the personal support of President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. Since then, it has reached a nationwide scale. Today, millions of citizens are involved in volunteering, and no major international event takes place without volunteers participating. The International Festival of Youth is proof of this, with 2,000 people in its Volunteer Corps. The #WEARETOGETHER Prize of the Youth and Children national project helps express gratitude to those who create a reliable rear and implement useful initiatives in which people find the support and assistance they need. In the sixth season, it received a record 60,633 applications from 155 countries — 16% more than the previous year,” emphasized Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia.
The “Heroes of Our Time” nomination includes the project “Support Our Defenders” by the “Za Vyatku” charitable foundation from the Kirov Region (humanitarian convoys and camouflage net weaving), “UAZ to Donbass” by Sergei Shilov from the Novosibirsk Region (repair and delivery of vehicles to the front), “10th Region. We Don’t Abandon Our Own” from the Republic of Karelia (network of volunteer points), the “KSVO-Pravo” chatbot from the Kursk Region (free legal aid to families of special military operation participants), the “Children of War” project by the Children’s Doctor Roshal Charitable Foundation (aid to children affected in combat zones), and a program by the Association of Corporate Psychologists for labor re-adaptation of special military operation participants, implemented at SIBUR, Rostec, and Rosseti. The nomination’s partners are the All-Russian People’s Front and Defenders of Fatherland State Foundation.
“The #WEARETOGETHER Prize finals feature projects with concrete results, where assistance reaches the regional or national level, becomes systemic, and remains accessible to those in need. This means helping thousands of people, organizing and collecting tons of humanitarian cargo, and practices that already work in the regions. ‘Heroes of Our Time’ nomination was the most popular one in the ‘NGOs and Projects’ category, with over 6,000 applications. These are initiatives supporting participants of the special military operation, their families, and residents of border areas,” noted Grigory Gurov, Head of Rosmolodezh and Executive Secretary of the Prize Organizing Committee.
In the “Country of Opportunities” nomination, the finalists include all-Russian and international projects: the audiovisual project “The Light of the Great Victory” at Mamayev Kurgan (Volgograd Region), the patriotic campaign “Snow Landing Force of the Russian Student Detachments”, the international campaign “Garden of Memory”, the project “Without Time Limitations” by the Russian Search Movement, “Tracing Forgotten Estates” from the Penza Region (volunteers clear 18th–early 20th century estates, two of them already purchased by investors), and “DobroCenter Novouralsk” from the Sverdlovsk Region.
Finalists in the “Code of Mercy” nomination include the “Rehabilitation Center on Wheels” from the Republic of Tatarstan (mobile rehabilitation complex for rural residents), “Path of the Champion” by the Adaptive Hockey Federation, and the White Cane Festival by the Charity Foundation of Diana Gurtskaya. “Sustainable Future” nominees: “Instinct” wildlife protection center from the Krasnoyarsk Krai, “Povodog” homeless animal assistance program, and “Clean Yamal” environmental initiative.
For the first time, participants in the special “Power of Unity” nomination, which appeared in the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, advanced to the finals — “Emergency Assistance — #IHelp in Dagestan” by Avito, “Tot.Yazyk” by the Total Dictation Foundation (dictations in 26 national languages), “Multinational Tatarstan. Let’s Support Our SVO Heroes” project by the Assembly of Peoples of Tatarstan, “CALL OF THE LAND” municipal center in St. Petersburg, “One Homeland — One Family” charity motor rally, and “Soul of Russia” umbrella project by Innosocium Foundation, which brought together representatives of more than 190 peoples and ethnic groups of the country.
Competitors for the title “Mentor of the Year” include Natalya Morova from the Republic of Mari El, an educator with 55 years of mentoring experience; Vera Lazareva from the Volgograd Region, organizer of mentoring for children from orphanages by elderly people; Bekir Eredzhepov from the Republic of Crimea, instructor of the All-Russian Student Rescue Corps; Valeria Gorbacheva from Moscow, coordinator of the BRICS International School; Mikhail Grebenyuk, co-founder of the “Generation” mentoring project; and Seda Kasparova from Moscow. Finalists in the “NGO Leader” nomination include Vyacheslav Belyakov, Director of the Total Dictation Foundation; Evgenia Grechkina, head of “Army of the Home Front” organization; Alina Setova, President of the Raoul Charitable Foundation; and Artur Kushakov, head of the “Right to Support” project at the Pravmir Foundation.
In the “Generation of Kindness” nomination, which involves teenagers aged 14 to 17, the finalists include “Art as Therapy” project by Sofia Streltsova from Moscow (performances by young artists in military hospitals), “World of Finance for All” by Angelina Krestovskaya from the Kursk Region, and “We Are Children of One Homeland!” school festival from Ryazan.
In the “Companies” category, 1,153 applications were submitted. Among the finalists — “Kindness Stations” by Russian Railways, SIBUR’s corporate volunteering program “People Changing the World”, the Retraining Center for SVO Veterans at Synergy University, the inclusive cafe “Teplitsa.Berezhno” from the Rostov Region, and center for children with developmental needs “KaDiKu” from Yugra.
In the “Territory” category, “Constituent Entities of the Russian Federation” nomination, the finalists include the Perm Krai, where 34 Dobro.Centers operate in 24 municipalities; the Sverdlovsk Region with the Uralochka card, which converts volunteer hours into points and discounts from partners; the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, where a Dobro.Center is open in each of the 13 municipalities; the Republic of Mordovia, which gave the country the “28 Loops” club with 100 branches across Russia; the Vologda Region with the “Laboratory of Good” for teenagers; and the Donetsk People’s Republic, where the project #WEARETOGETHER.Water delivered more than 2 million liters of water in a year. In the “Municipalities and Single-Industry Towns” nomination, the finalists include Snezhinsk, Dimitrovgrad, Novosibirsk, Naberezhnye Chelny, Skopin, and Ivanovo.
Finalist status in the Prize means not only recognition but also real support for further project development. Measures involve information support on federal TV channels, radio stations, and outdoor advertising across the country, a year-long educational program with in-person modules at Rosmolodezh’s year-round youth centers, inclusion in the roster of lecturers for the Russian Znanie Society with access to studios in 12 Russian cities, trips across Russia through More Than Trip program, participation in the business program of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, and themed sessions at federal children’s centers.
Additionally, socially oriented NGOs that are the Prize finalists will receive priority rights to free or reduced-rate rental of premises owned by the state or municipalities. The possibility of granting them National Project Partner status and easy access to social services will also be explored.
Of the 5,537 applications in the international track from 155 countries, 18 projects from 16 countries across six macroregions reached the finals. The Americas are represented by Colombia, Canada, and Mexico; Europe by Portugal, Serbia, and Germany; the Asia-Pacific by Nepal, India, and the Philippines; Sub-Saharan Africa by Kenya, Rwanda, and Nigeria; the CIS by Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan; and the Middle East and North Africa by Iraq and Tunisia. The sixth season’s international track is linked to the UN International Year of Volunteers, of which Russia became a co-organizer. In total, 99 participants became finalists of the sixth season.
“A Prize finalist gains entry into the community and support system. Over six years, around 750 participants have passed through the finals, and most continue to work together: the federal club “Mayak”, regional finalist clubs, and joint humanitarian missions. And in the UN International Year of Volunteers, our finalists are also reaching international platforms,” emphasized Artem Metelev, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Youth Policy and head of the DOBRO.RF ecosystem.
Public voting takes place in a special application (bot) in the MAX messenger and is available to registered users. Users select a nomination, review information about the finalists and their initiatives, and cast their vote — one vote per finalist in each nomination. The voting process is open: the number of votes received is visible to all participants. Public voting is conducted among national track finalists. This season, public voting has also been launched for international track projects for the first time — it takes place on the dobro.org platform. The lead of the project with most votes will be invited to the #WEARETOGETHER International Forum of Civil Participation in December.
In parallel with public voting, the Honorary Jury, composed of members of the Prize Organizing Committee and partner companies, begins its work. From October 5 to 28, experts will evaluate applications on the platform and conduct online reviews with finalists. Prize laureates will be announced at the #WEARETOGETHER International Forum of Civil Participation, which will take place from December 2 to 5, 2026.
The #WEARETOGETHER International Prize is the main award for social projects, implemented with the support of the President of the Russian Federation. Its goal is to recognize and support leaders of socially significant initiatives aimed at helping people and improving quality of life in Russia and worldwide. For the past 10 years, Russian President Vladimir Putin has presented the Prize to winners.
The Prize was established by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs. It is organized by the DOBRO.RF social development ecosystem. The Prize Organizing Committee is headed by Sergei Kiriyenko, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of Russia, and Tatyana Golikova, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia.
Over six years, more than 250,000 applications were submitted to the Award, and around 750 participants became finalists. In 2026, a record 60,633 applications were submitted from 155 countries, including 5,537 in the international track. The sixth season is connected with the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia and the UN International Year of Volunteers, of which Russia became a co-organizer. The Prize is implemented within the Youth and Children national project. Alfa-Bank is the Prize’s general partner, and Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation is its strategic partner.
Overview:
The International Festival of Youth, held as part of the Youth and Children national project, is taking place in Ekaterinburg from September 11 to 17, 2026. The decree establishing the event was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 29, 2025. The Festival is being held under the motto “Follow Your Dream”.
Participants of the IFY – 2026 include 10,000 young leaders from 191 countries, including 5,000 Russians and 5,000 international citizens. Among them are leading representatives of creative industries and the arts, public administration, science and education, sport, entrepreneurship, media, digitalization and IT, and civic engagement – people who are already shaping the future of their countries and the world. Continuing the successful practice established at the World Youth Festival 2024, those invited include 1,000 teenagers aged 14 to 17 – 500 from Russia and 500 from abroad. The Children’s Program is organized by the Movement of the First.
The World Youth Festival took place from March 1 to 7, 2024, in Sirius, in accordance with a decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, aimed at developing international youth cooperation. The WYF-2024 brought together 20,000 young leaders from 190 countries.
In line with instructions from Russia’s President on preserving and building on the legacy of the World Youth Festival, festival events are now held annually across Russia. The World Youth Festival Directorate continues its work to strengthen international youth cooperation and build a community of young people who care about the future of the world.