The expert council of the Crystal Compass International National Award summed up the application campaign results. This year more than 240 projects and achievements from 15 countries of the world, including Australia, the USA, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Ireland and others, have been nominated for the “geographical Oscar”. Of the Russian applicants, there are representatives of 59 regions, the most active of which were Kemerovo region, Moscow, Moscow region and the Krasnodar Territory.
“The ‘Crystal Compass’ Award is becoming more and more popular every year. All forms of geographical research are widely presented here - from scientific publications, long-term local field research, historical research to unique educational trips to the most amazing places of our Russia, and the television programs and popular science films created on their basis," commented on the results of the application campaign a member of the award’s expert council, legendary TV presenter, Nikolai Drozdov.
VI торжественная церемония вручения национальной премии "Хрустальный компас". Фото: Валерий Гончаров
Among the candidates for the “Crystal Compass” are scientists of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Utrecht University of the Netherlands, the Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FCIARctic), Institute of Ethnological Studies of R.G. Kuzeev, the Expeditionary Center of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Hydrographic Service of the Black Sea Fleet, “RusHydro” and “Gelio Vostok” companies, Russian Speleologists Union, the Sayano-Shushenski Nature Reserve; famous photo artists, Vladimir Alekseev and Ray Collins (Australia); American environmental activist, Ryan Hickman; "Paulsen" publishing house; TV channel "My Planet" and the Interstate Broadcasting Company "Mir".
The most popular categories were "The Best Socio-informational Project for the Preservation of Natural, Historical and Cultural Heritage", "Enlightenment" and "Photography".
“Every year, the ‘Crystal Compass’ gains more and more authority and fame. Today, the award is really interesting to many. We see that more and more colleagues from other countries are joining our work. We are faced with difficult work to identify among the submitted projects the most striking and ambitious achievements," said the chairman of the expert council of the award, honorary president of the Russian Geographical Society, academician, Vladimir Kotlyakov.
Статуэтка национальной премии «Хрустальный компас»
At the moment, the expert council continues to work with applications and determine the finalists, a list of which will be published later. The coveted crystal and silver figurines will be awarded to the winners at the VIII Crystal Compass Award, which will not be held in May for the first time due to the coronavirus epidemic, but will be postponed to a later date.
The National Crystal Compass Award has been awarded since 2012. This is a prestigious international award in the field of geography, ecology, preservation and popularization of natural and historico-cultural heritage. It is designed to find and show the best modern achievements and practical projects aimed at preserving the natural, historical and cultural heritage, to show the guidelines for the development of the state and society, based on the best modern achievements. During the “geographical Oscar”, 2,320 projects and achievements were nominated from 39 countries of the world and all 85 regions of Russia. About 1.7 million people took part in the special category "Public Recognition", where the winner is determined by online voting. At different times, the owners of the “Crystal Compass” became Fedor Konyukhov and Frederik Paulsen, National Geographic Society and Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Northern Fleet and divisions of the Russian Academy of Sciences, etc. The award is held under the auspices of the Russian Geographical Society and PJSC “Gazprom”.