The finalists of the competition were determined at a meeting of the expert council of the Crystal Compass National Award at the Headquarters of the Russian Geographical Society in Moscow. This year's contenders for the prestigious award include representatives of Russia, Azerbaijan, India, France, Kazakhstan, Serbia, and Kyrgyzstan. The names of the winners will be announced at the ceremony on May 30.
The coveted crystal and silver statuettes will be awarded in 10 categories to the authors of unique projects and for outstanding achievements in the field of geography, ecology, and conservation of natural, historical, and cultural heritage. Nine laureates of the Crystal Compass Award will be determined by the members of the expert council. The winner in the “Public Recognition” category has already been revealed by the results of the popular vote held on the official website of the project.
More than 230,000 people took part in the selection of the best project for “Public Recognition”. The “geographical Oscar” will be awarded to Boško Kozarski, who shot the documentary series "Kulturista" ("Cultural Tourist") about traveling in Russia. Almost 28,000 people voted for him.
In the remaining nine categories, the following projects and achievements reached the finals.
Category "Scientific Achievement"
Imrani Zaur Tagir oglu, Baku, Azerbaijan.
Object-oriented analysis of risk and disaster assessment based on the geo-ecological context within Azerbaijan.
Laurent Touchart, Orleans, France.
Long-term scientific research and significant contribution to the development of lake science development
Prof. Suresh Chand Rai, Delhi, India.
Climate variability and its impact on agrobiodiversity and livelihood security in traditional agriculture of Sikkim Himalayas.
Category "Education"
L. L. Kruglov, Moscow.
The documentary "To the Arctic".
The Russian society “Znaniye” (eng. "Knowledge"), Moscow.
Conducting the federal educational marathon "Knowledge: The First Ones."
Pavlodar House of Geography, Pavlodar, Kazakhstan.
The project "House of Geography".
Category "Best Socio-informational Project for the Preservation of Natural, Historical, and Cultural Heritage"
A. B. Komarov, D. A. Komarov, Murmansk Region.
Creation of the historical and ethnographic complex "Tonya Tetrina".
Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan, Republic of Tatarstan.
The revival of the Volga-Kama Saker falcon population.
I.A. Popov, Republic of Tatarstan.
Creating a meaningful travel service "GoodSerfing".
Category "Journey and Expedition"
A.V. Osipov, Tambov Region.
Cycling around the world.
The Northern Fleet (A. A. Moiseev, S. G. Zinchenko), the 12th Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (I. A. Kolesnikov, S. V. Agafonov), and the Murmansk Regional branch of the non-governmental organization "Russian Geographical Society" (D. V. Moiseev, S. A. Goncharov), Murmansk Region.
Comprehensive research of Novaya Zemlya "Unknown Archipelago".
Volga State University of Water Transport, Nizhny Novgorod Region.
Conducting the expedition "Floating University of the Volga Basin".
Category "Best Mass Media Project, Media project"
Boško Kozarski, Belgrade, Serbia.
The TV project “Културиста у Русији” (eng. "Kulturista in Russia").
V. I. Lazo, Krasnodar Territory.
The documentary "Oxygen".
Director: Igor Voloshin. General producers: Fedor Bondarchuk, Denis Baglay, Mikhail Vrubel, Alexander Andryushchenko, Vadim Vereshchagin, Moscow.
The film "The Lord of the Wind".
Category "Publication"
Tyumen Regional Public Charitable Foundation "Revival of Tobolsk" (author of the project: A. G. Elfimov), Tyumen Region.
The publication of the book "Examples of Book Art: A Catalog of Publications of National Importance of the Revival of Tobolsk Foundation".
S. A. Litvinskaya, Krasnodar Territory.
The publication of the series "Protected Nature of Kuban".
Mediarost Art Holding LLC (Vitaly Goroshnikov, Anastasia Maslova, Nadezhda Bolotina, Ekaterina Nikolaeva), Yaroslavl Region.
The publication of a series of photo encyclopedias "Russia: Visual Code".
Pacific Geographical Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Primorye Territory.
The publication "Atlas of Cartographic Works by Vladimir Klavdievich Arsenyev".
Category "Photography"
V. N. Kolinko, Murmansk Region.
Photo project "Kandalaksha Nature Reserve: Animals of the Arctic Islands".
Rajesh Thapliyal, Delhi, India.
Photo project "Kamchatka to Kuril Lake by Road”.
Yu. V. Stolypin, St. Petersburg.
Photo project "Lake Elton: The Pearl of the Volgograd Region".
Category "Civic Participation"
Autonomous non-profit organization "Center for the Promotion of Expeditionary Activities" (A. A. Yurmanov, I. A. Popov, T. F. Safin, A.V. Mikhailik, O. V. Lobanov, V. G. Egorov, V. A. Grudinskaya, A. Y. Litvinenko), Moscow.
The project "Expeditions are not for Everyone!".
Saratov regional youth public search organization "Memory" (project manager: P. D. Baranovsky), Saratov Region.
The project "Movement to Resurrect the Memory of the Red Army soldiers Who Fell in the Second World War: Young Search Specialist".
M. M. Satybaldiev, E. T. Turdubekova, Kyrgyzstan.
A series of educational projects about Russia.
Category "Best Regional Project"
A. I. Alekseev, Krasnodar Territory.
Creation of the cultural center "Old Park".
I. I. Rysin (project manager), N. V. Karavaev, A. A. Perevoshchikov, E. A. Rubleva, E. M. Chernykh, Udmurt Republic.
Geographical and archaeological research of the disappeared villages of Udmurtia.
Museum-Reserve "Museum of the World Ocean", the foundation "Maritime Heritage of the Fatherland", Kaliningrad Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society, Kaliningrad Region.
Creation of the Yantarny Underwater Park in the Kaliningrad Region.
Сrystal Сompass. Photo: Krasnodar branch of the RGS
The Crystal Compass is a prestigious international award which has been awarded since 2012 for outstanding achievements and unique projects aimed at preserving the natural, historical, and cultural heritage of Russia. In 2024, the National Award is held under the auspices of the Russian Geographical Society and with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives. In 12 years, more than 4,300 projects and achievements from 48 countries have been submitted for the award. In the special category "Public Recognition", where the laureates are determined by online voting, more than 2.8 million people expressed their preferences.
Among the prize winners and holders of the coveted crystal statuette of the past years are Russian traveler Fedor Konyukhov and Swedish researcher Frederic Paulsen, French writer Jean-Louis Gouraud and Australian photographer Ray Collins, Lomonosov Moscow State University and the Institute of Glaciology and Ecogeography of Lanzhou University, the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Swiss Polar Institute as well as many others.