The Russian Cultural Foundation will accept applications for participation in the international “Culture Online” award from June 17 to September 30, 2024. Applications are accepted online on the official website.

The award’s establishment was inspired by the rapid digitalization of culture and the innovative modern approach to creative projects. For five years, we have been encouraging organizations and individuals who actively use advanced online technologies in their work.

The history of the “Culture Online” award began during the pandemic when widespread isolation significantly altered most people’s cultural and entertainment leisure.  It then became clear to many that the synergy of new technologies and culture was inevitable and would only grow.  Since the debut of the “Culture Online” award in 2020, talented people from different countries have presented their best digital solutions to the jury each year, which have become more technical and diverse.

Interest in the award has noticeably increased every year, and in just five years, it has become an international event in the field of culture. Here are some figures that confirm this:

– More than 1300 applications received

– Coverage in Russia from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok

– Applications submitted by participants from 25 countries

– 130 projects that managed to impress the jury and make it to the finals

– 42 winners in various categories, including special prizes from the Russian Cultural Foundation.

The award’s goals and objectives remain unchanged: to identify and encourage the most daring, innovative, and talented projects. The “Culture Online” award winners have often been written about in the press because their projects stood out among all participants and attracted public attention. Participants and viewers actively shared their impressions on social media.

In 2024, the organizing committee defined seven project categories, including a new category for projects incorporating artificial intelligence.

  • Best Online Project 2024— The main award category for projects in the fields of theater, music, and cinema.
  • Best Collaboration— This category will determine the best project implemented with the participation of two or more companies, as well as companies combining offline and online formats.
  • Best IT Solution for the Cultural Sector — This category is for projects that skillfully use digital technologies such as VR/AR, mobile applications, online games, and more.
  • Best Social Media Campaign — This category receives many applications annually from projects focusing on original content and social media promotion.
  • Best Education and Outreach Project — For those candidates who develop themselves and teach others online: lectures, masterclasses, training courses, programs, and more.
  • Best Livestreaming Project — This category will consider projects that demonstrate cultural events in real time from the venue via the Internet.
  • Best AI Integration in Culture— A relevant category was added in 2024, established to identify the best project implementing neural networks, generative algorithms, and other AI technologies.

A competent jury consisting of leading specialists in the cultural field will evaluate participants’ works.  The project evaluation criteria will include innovation, audience reach, cultural significance, scalability, and user experience.

In addition to the main nominations, the organizing committee annually awards one or more participants with a Special Prize from the Russian Cultural Foundation.

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

Email address for contacting the organizers: 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 all-Union and international exhibitions, festivals, concerts and competitions were held, unique literary treasures were published, and periodicals were launched in many regions of the country with the support of the Foundation. An extensive regional network of branches and representative offices allows the Foundation to carry out cultural and educational activities throughout 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