On October 9, the applications for media grants of the Russian Geographical Society were officially opened. This was announced at a press conference at the Society’s Moscow Headquarters by Dmitry Peskov, Chairman of the RGS Media Council. 50 million rubles are allocated to support the most interesting projects. The maximum amount of one grant will be 1.8 million rubles. Applications will be accepted until October 30 inclusive.
The Russian Geographical Society has been awarding media grants since 2010. The exception was the years of the pandemic and its consequences. During the entire existence of the grant program, 274 media projects have been implemented, and the total amount of support from the RGS amounted to 245.5 million rubles.
“Russia is a unique country from the point of view of geography, there are still ‘blank areas’ on its map,” Dmitry Peskov noted. “The Russian Geographical Society conducts a lot of research and expedition work, we have something to tell and show. We hope that colleagues working in the media sphere will help to convey the results of this work and our ideas to the widest possible audience. For our part, we want to support the most talented authors and creative teams.”
The Chairman of the RGS Media Council mentioned several long-term projects of the Russian Geographical Society. These are ecological cleaning of the Arctic, an expedition to explore the ALSIB Air Route, studying the history of the Baltic fortress, underwater exploration of cultural heritage in the Caspian Sea, etc.
In addition, the RGS supports research work within the framework of a separate grant program, where you can also find stories for inspiration.
A relatively new area of work of the RGS is the development of domestic tourism. The Russian Geographical Society not only conducts the examination of tours, but also creates a unique tourist product itself.
Photo: Anna Yurgenson/RGS press service
Peskov noted that time dictates its own laws. Both viewers and media are changing rapidly, so the absolute priority in 2024 will be multimodal media projects that effectively use all communication channels, formats, and integration.
“Our common task is to reach the maximum audience, we want to reach people of all ages, social and professional statuses,” said the head of the RGS Media Council.
Dmitry Peskov gave practical advice. For example, until recently a popular format was a documentary. But today, when everything in our life is happening faster, the 40-minute film is no longer so in demand by the viewer.
“Of course, there may be masterpieces in this genre, but still there is a general trend. Therefore, preference will be given to short formats," Peskov said.
Russia is a huge country. The most interesting places are better visible from the regions. Therefore, regional projects can count on special attention. Dmitry Peskov particularly noted the new regions of the Russian Federation.
“As peaceful life is restored in the new territories, there will be more tourists there. There are places of attraction in there related to history, including military history," he reminded.
As in previous years, the experts of the Media Council will be more willing to support projects on the basis of co-financing. According to Peskov, such applications are an indicator of the seriousness and professionalism of the authors and creative teams. And the RGS is ready to give a hand to the most talented in this sense.
Dmitry Peskov promised that the organizers of the contest will try to minimize the bureaucratic procedures that usually cause a lot of trouble to creative people. But correctness in applying for a grant and financial discipline are a prerequisite for success.
All detailed information about the grant competitions of the RGS is gathered in the section "Grants".