In the first week, more than 150 entries were received for the Grinlandiya correspondence competition.

      This festival season is special — for the first time the project is being carried out with the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives.

      On September 1 the organizing committee announced the launch of a new competition, "Faithful Sons of the Fatherland," and within days this news had spread across all the regions of our vast country. In the first week the organizing committee had already received more than 150 applications.

      This year the competition, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory and to the heroism of today’s defenders of the Motherland, provoked unprecedented excitement — applications came from different corners of Russia. Inspired by the spirit of the times, the competition’s participants address themes that particularly strongly resonate in the hearts of Russians. Four thematic directions provide a wide field for creativity: "This Day of Victory," "Russia Doesn’t Abandon Its Own," "Where the Motherland Begins," "When You Grow Up."

      Works are accepted in several categories: original songs, poems, and music videos. This allows participants to showcase their talents in different genres and formats. Notably, the theme of the Great Patriotic War is one of the most popular. This speaks to Russians’ deep respect for their country’s history and for the feats of their ancestors.

      Tatiana Kuzmina from the Samara Region submitted to the competition the song "In the Sky Over Leningrad" about the feat of her great-grandfather, Hero of the Soviet Union Grigory Antonovich Zavarin. "Military pilot Zavarin carried out 27 combat sorties during the Great Patriotic War to deliver bombing and torpedo strikes against enemy ships and transport," the contestant said. "He was killed in 1944 while carrying out a combat mission. Today one of the streets in a suburb of St. Petersburg is named in his honor."

      The works will be judged by a competent jury chaired by Honored Artist of Russia Sergey Trofimov and the well-known poet-songwriter Alexander Shaganov. Diploma recipients will be selected each month, and the laureates in each category will receive cash prizes and the opportunity to perform on the festival stage of Grinlandia in July 2026.

      "The 'Faithful Sons of the Fatherland' competition is aimed at fostering patriotism, strengthening spiritual and moral values, and preserving historical memory," notes Oleg Valenchuk. "It reminds us that the Motherland is not just a word. It is what lives in the heart of each of us, what we are ready to stand and fight for. For it is through songs and poems that we can better understand and feel the greatness of our country and its people."