The Russian Cultural Foundation has presented the shortlist for the fifth International Culture Online Award — one of the most prestigious awards in the field of digital art in Russia. The best projects of 2024 from the finalists selected in each of the seven categories of the anniversary award will be announced at a gala ceremony on November 15, held online on the official website of the award.

Projects could be submitted in seven categories for this fifth-anniversary award. In addition to the main nominations, the organizing committee annually awards one or more participants with a Special Prize from the Russian Cultural Foundation.

“Evaluating and supporting cultural online projects, as well as initiatives aimed at introducing the latest technological solutions into the cultural sphere, is a relevant and important direction. Creative industries, culture, and art are, in fact, the most organic spaces for experiments and exploring new forms and approaches. Modern technologies provide creators with more flexible tools to realize their ideas, allow cultural institutions to attract additional audience attention, present eternal values in new ways, and work effectively toward preserving cultural heritage,” noted Elena Golovnina, General Director of the All-Russian Public-State Organization “Russian Cultural Foundation.”

The expert council, chaired for the third consecutive year by the outstanding violist and conductor, People’s Artist of the USSR and Russia, Yuri Bashmet, assessed the submissions based on audience reach, user experience, innovation, cultural value, and project scalability.  The jury of the fifth “Culture Online” award included Elena Golovnina, General Director of the “Russian Cultural Foundation,” Mikhail Bryzgalov, General Director of the Russian National Museum of Music and Honored Art Worker of Russia; Anna Yalova, Director of the Central Exhibition Hall “Manege,” as well as Fabio Mastrangelo, Artistic Director of the F. I. Chaliapin Music Theatre, Yuri Molodkovets, artist-photographer of the State Hermitage Museum, and Pavel Peregudov, media producer and founder of Russia’s first AI film competition, MyFilm48.

The finalists for the Best Online Project category, selected by the expert council, are:

  1. The online project of the State Russian Museum “Inspired by Pushkin. To the 225th anniversary of the poet’s birth”;
  2. The online project by the computer graphics studio “0101” titled “The Magnet of Your Home”;
  3. The online project “Under the Dome,” implemented by the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve in collaboration with VK;
  4. The online project “Russian Digital Music” by the Sverdlovsk State Academic Philharmonic;
  5. The online dialect dictionary “I Speak Russian,” created by the portal “Culture.RF” and the social network “Odnoklassniki.”

In the Best Collaboration category, the finalists are:

  1. The charity auction “Culture of the Rear — Culture of the Front,” organized by the Lugansk State Academy of Culture and Arts named after Mikhail Matusovsky and the regional executive committee of the All-Russian public movement “People’s Front”;
  2. The video lectures “Vasily Polenov. Teacher and Students” by the State Memorial Historical-Artistic and Natural Museum-Reserve of V. D. Polenov, PJSC Rostelecom, and the Association of Museums of the Far East;
  3. The documentary film in Russian Sign Language, “Moscow Art Theatre. Behind the Scenes,” produced by the private non-profit organization for the promotion of inclusive cinema “Languages Without Borders,” VTB Bank, and the Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre;
  4. The interactive exhibition, organized by the All-Russian Children and Youth Movement “Movement of the First,” the museum bureau Pitch, the “Sber Metaverse” Technology Center, and the Sbermarketing Event Lab;
  5. The Internet festival of young readers of Russia “Sochi — BRIDGE,” organized by the creative union “UON Sochi” and Additional Education Centre “Hosta.”

In the category Best IT-solution for the Cultural Sector, the following projects are competing:

  1. The mobile application ArtCracker from an Israeli startup;
  2. The mobile pilgrimage guide Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. Guide, developed by RIA Novosti;
  3. The museum chatbot guide of the Russian National Museum of Music;
  4. The rural tourism platform Your Place in the Countryside from Rosselkhozbank;
  5. The exhibition Digital Nomad, created by the State Historical Museum and the social network LOOKY.

The shortlist for the Best Social Media Campaign category includes:

  1. The blog No, they didn’t! by Polina Pendina, Ekaterina Tarasova, and Tatyana Ivanova;
  2. The Podcast I’d Watch in the Evening by the State Museum of the History of Russian Literature named after V. I. Dahl;
  3. The campaign #OperaPushkin from the Moscow theatre “New Opera” named after E. V. Kolobov;
  4. The exhibition Peterhof. Treasures of the Empress by the State Historical Museum;
  5. The informational campaign Walking Through Peterhof by the Peterhof Museum-Reserve and VK.

In the Best Education and Outreach Project category, the nominees are:

  1. The children’s educational online resource State Historical Museum for Children by the State Historical Museum;
  2. The online tour marathon in the parks of Moscow Region by the Moscow Regional Directorate for Park Development;
  3. The Stepan-Dyer Workshop, created by a graphic designer and lecturer at the Ural Federal University, Alyona Shutova;
  4. The project about the culture and history of the Southern Urals URAL SCIENCE by the autonomous non-profit organization for the collaboration of contemporary cultural practices Creative Industries of the Urals;
  5. The art and educational project Roads of Russian Enlightenment, developed by the Lomonosov Roads Foundation for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage of the Russian North.

In the category Best Livestreaming Project, the finalists are:

  1. Alexander Nevsky and the Military History of Rus by the Media Center of the State Academic Capella of St. Petersburg;
  2. The online broadcast of the annual nationwide event BiblioNight 2024, prepared by the socio-cultural events department of the Russian State Library;
  3. The online broadcast series of concerts All of Bach’s Cantatas by the Charity Fund for Promoting Morality and Spirituality COLLEGIUM MUZIKUM;
  4. The IV Festival of Classical Music Cantata, organized by Festival Directorate ANO;
  5. The IX International Ethnic Music Festival Music of the World by the State Museum of Theatre and Music of St. Petersburg.

In the new category Best AI Integration in Culture, the finalists are:

  1. The exhibition Revived Collection by the Voronezh Regional Art Museum named after I. N. Kramskoy;
  2. The international AI film competition MyFilm48 by Pavel Peregudov;
  3. The online project Your Family Fabergé by the Fabergé Museum and the VK Communities Department;
  4. The trailer series Legend of Karakuz, created by the Academy of Digital Creativity and the Animation School A1002;
  5. The media art festival SKRYABIN, organized by The Directorate of Festival and Cultural Events of the Chelyabinsk Region.

This last category receives special attention. The “Best AI Integration in Culture” was introduced specifically as part of the 5th anniversary of the “Culture Online” award, reflecting the organizers’ recognition of the active development of neural networks, generative algorithms, and other AI technologies.

Founded by the All-Russian Public-State Organization “Russian Cultural Fund” in 2020, the international Culture Online award aims to emphasize the importance and influence of innovative technologies in the development of culture. Over five years, more than 1,500 applications from 25 countries worldwide and dozens of cities across Russia have been submitted. From these, the expert council selected 160 finalist projects and 52 winners across various categories.

Official website of the award: http://www.culturaonline.ru/

Contact Email: award@culturaonline.ru

The Culture Online International Award is organized by the Russian Cultural Foundation: https://rcfoundation.ru/

About the project:

The Russian Cultural Foundation is a National Public-State Organization in the field of culture and art. Dozens of new regional museums were established, hundreds of nationwide and international exhibitions, festivals, concerts and competitions were held, unique literary treasures were published, and periodicals were launched with the support of the Foundation. The Fund conducts cultural and educational activities across the entire territory of the Russian Federation.

Every year, the Foundation allocates grants in various fields of art, supporting theatrical, publishing, musical and educational activities. The Russian Cultural Foundation is an operator of cultural and educational programs for schools, the national project “Culture,” and the federal project “Creative People”.