Oleg Valenchuk: Greenland Keeps Up with the Times

      Let us recall that on September 1 the remote competition "Faithful Sons of the Motherland" (6+), timed to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, began and has already attracted the attention of creative people from across the country. This year the project is being implemented with the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives.

      In the first two months the number of participants exceeded 1,000 people from 35 regions, which attests to the high interest in patriotic themes and the contestants' desire to express their feelings and emotions through creativity.

      Participants compete in the following categories: "This Day of Victory," "Where the Motherland Begins," "When You Grow Up," and "Russia Doesn't Abandon Its Own (SVO)."

      The works are judged by a competent jury, which includes Honored Artist of Russia Sergey Trofimov and the well-known poet-songwriter Alexander Shaganov. After two months the jury has already named 65 diploma winners.

      One of the diploma winners for October was Vladimir Butov, a member of the Union of Don Writers. His piece, dedicated to mobilized miners, became a striking example of how patriotic feelings can be expressed through music and poetry. In his songs Vladimir tells of the fates of his colleagues — participants in the SVO.

      "A miner is a profession for the strong and brave," Vladimir says. "When the Motherland called for help, our miners stood up to defend the interests and honor of their country. About a hundred employees of the Obukhovskaya mine from the town of Zverevo in the Rostov region were mobilized, and their feat inspired the creation of a song. The text mentions Saint Barbara — the patroness of miners. An icon bearing her image was presented to the front-line 'Obukhovites' as a symbol of support and blessing."

      Applications to the organizing committee come from various corners of Russia and neighboring countries. The participants' geography stretches from Rostov-on-Don to Khabarovsk Krai, from Magadan to Smolensk, from Vorkuta to Altai. Many applications come from new regions; creative people from Belarus are actively participating in the remote competition. And, of course, participants from Kirov and its districts almost every month find themselves among the diploma winners.

      The full list of October diploma winners can be found in the festival's official VKontakte group and on the website. Based on the results of the competition, laureates will be chosen from among the diploma winners in each category; they will receive cash prizes and the unique opportunity to perform on the festival glade of "Grinlandia" in July 2026.

      "The mission of Grinlandia is to bring creative people together around the most important values of our people," says the chair of the Grinlandia festival, State Duma deputy from the United Russia party, Oleg Valenchuk. "And today the festival keeps pace with the times, embodying the people's aspiration for unity, for the revival of our spiritual bonds. We want every participant to feel part of the great history of the country, and for their creativity to become the voice of a new generation that remembers its heroes and glorifies their deeds."

      We remind you that applications for the remote competition are accepted until March 30, 2026 by email: grinlandia-kirov@mail. ru and in the festival's official VKontakte group.