Society and Reading: Russia to hold the All-Russian contest "The Most Readable Region" for the sixth time

The All-Russian contest "The Most Readable Region" will be held for the sixth time. It was launched in the Year of Literature in Russia. Ulyanovsk (2015), Voronezh (2016), Saint-Petersburg (2017), Irkutsk (2018) and Belgorod (2019) regions have been awarded the title "Literary Flagship of Russia" in different years. The contest's organizer is the Russian Book Union supported by the Federal Agency on Press and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation.

This year, 82 Russian regions are going to participate in the contest. 2020 was declared in Russia the Year of Memory and Glory. It marks the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Therefore, special attention will be paid to events devoted to the Victory anniversary. Also, in anticipation of the 37th IBBY International Congress, "The Most Readable Region" contest will focus on projects and programs to support children's and youth reading.

The winner will be announced in October. The award ceremony will take place in November as part of the Saint-Petersburg International Cultural Forum.

The win in the contest gives the status of the "Most Readable Region" of Russia. To determine the winner, the jury, which includes representatives of the book and library communities, journalists, literary critics and writers, evaluates the participants' applications. Russian regions will present the most significant and impressive book projects performed in 2019/2020.