XXVI International Pushkin Competition Winners to Be Honored in Moscow

On September 12, 2026, Moscow will host the award ceremony for the winners of the XXVI International Pushkin Competition for teachers of Russian from countries in the near and far abroad.

The organizers of the International Pushkin Competition are Rossiyskaya Gazeta and the Government of Moscow, represented by the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow.

This year, nearly 400 essays were submitted to the competition from 39 countries. The number of participating countries grew by 11 compared with last year. For the first time, entries came from the Netherlands, Northern Cyprus, and Sweden. On June 6, Alexander Pushkin’s birthday and Russian Language Day, the jury announced the names of 50 winners.

The theme of the 2026 competition, “The Russian Language on Pravda Street. How Is It Faring in Your Country and School?”, is explored through teachers’ personal stories about working with students, interest in Russian literature and culture, and the challenges and discoveries of the profession. In their essays, participants describe how they set up Russian schools abroad, help children preserve their native language, and introduce foreign audiences to Russian classics.

The winners’ program in the capital combines professional networking, an introduction to Moscow’s cultural heritage, and meetings with Russian writers. It will include a roundtable on the status of the Russian language in different countries, chaired by Yadviga Yuferova, chair of the competition’s organizing committee and deputy editor-in-chief of Rossiyskaya Gazeta, and a literary meeting with Pavel Basinsky and Mikhail Vizel.

The winners will visit the Pushkin State Russian Language Institute. At workshops, Vladimir Karasik and Irina Leshutina will discuss norms and values in language and tools for increasing motivation in teaching Russian as a foreign language. Participants will also enjoy a tour and a lecture at the Pushkin State Museum and an evening at the theater.