On the Feast Day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which is Celebrated in the Russian Federation as the Day of National Unity, Commemorative Gifts were given by H.I.H., the Heir, Tsetsarevich, Grand Duke Georgii Mikhailovich, to the Winners and Participants in the International Literary Competition “Litso Rossii” [Face of Russia]

On 22 October/4 November 2010, on the Feast Day of the Kazan Icon of the Most Pure Mother of God, which is the state holiday of the Day of National Unity, an award ceremony was held for the winners and participants of the International Literary Competition “Litso Rossii” [Face of Russia], during which commemorative gifts were distributed in the name of H.I.H. Tsetsarevich and Grand Duke Georgii Mikhailovich, the son and Heir of the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria Wladimirovna.

All of the participants of the Competition received colorful 2011-2012 wall calendars entitled “The Russian Imperial House.” Each of the nine winners of the Competition received a special gift from His Imperial Highness—silver coins minted during the reign of the Holy Passion-Bearer Emperor Nicholas II.

On instructions from H.I.H., the Heir, Tsetsarevich and Grand Duke Georgii Mikhailovich, which were conveyed through the Chancellery of the Russian Imperial House, the award ceremony was conducted on behalf of the Grand Duke by Prince G. G. Gagarin, the Chairman of the Russian Nobility Association (RNA), and by A. Iu. Korolev-Pereleshin the First Vice-Marshal of the Russian Nobility Association and the Coordinator for Social and International Relations of the RNA.

The International Literary Competition “Litso Rossii”, which is organized with the blessing of His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, is a competition of essays by children and teenagers living in Russia and abroad between the ages of 7 and 18 years. The essays are devoted to prominent figures in Russian history, who have contributed significantly to the creation and strengthening of the Russian state, and to its spiritual, cultural, and intellectual development. Among the heroes treated in the essays are: political figures, military leaders, writers, composers, scholars, doctors, and religious figures—that is, those who, by their own lives and labors, have honorably and faithfully served the Motherland. After selecting a historical personage, participants in the competition explain how and why they chose their hero, what traits of character or heroic actions demonstrate their fidelity to the ideas of love, sacrifice, courage, civic duty, honor, and dignity; and how they serve as examples for emulation. The web page for the Competition “Litso Rossii” is: http://www.faceofrussia.ru.

The winners of the International Literary Competition “Litso Rossii,” who received awards from H.I.H., the Heir, Tsetsarevich and Grand Duke Georgii Mikhailovich are:

Youngest Age Group (ages 7-10):

1. Daniil Artemovich Plotnikov (Perm’ Region)
2. Mikhail Evgen’evich Zhalov (Krasnodar)
3. Nadia Bidlingmaier (Leer, Germany)

Middle Age Group (ages 11-14):

1. Artem Igorevich Kriukov (Ruza, Moscow District)
2. Viacheslav Andreevich Vetoshkin (Kemerovo)
3. Aleksandra Markova (Rezekne, Latvia)

Oldest Age Group (ages 15-18):

1. Maria Markovna Sverdlikova (Moscow)
2. Mikhail Iaroslavovich Bulka (St. Petersburg)
3. Anastasiia Ivanovna Shapovalova (Dobropol’e, Ukraine)