Tatiana Golikova launched the all-Russian competition-award “Unlimited Opportunities.”

A press conference dedicated to the start of the competition was held at TASS.

“Almost 11.5 million citizens with disabilities live in our country. Each has their own story. In order for state policy to be multi-faceted, covering as many life events as possible, these stories must be heard. That’s why we are launching a new all-Russian competition-award ‘Unlimited Opportunities.’ On one hand, citizens with disabilities will be able to share their experiences nationwide in various fields — professional development, social self-realization, sports achievements, educational successes — and even personal dreams. On the other hand, within the framework of the competition, we will identify the best local practices for developing an inclusive environment, which can then be replicated across the country — from education to employment and workplace adaptation. Applications open today and will continue until November 30,” said Deputy Prime Minister, competition jury chair Tatiana Golikova.

The contest-award includes 12 nominations, divided into two tracks: “People Without Borders” and “Standard of Living.”

The track “People Without Borders” is dedicated to the personal stories and personal triumphs of citizens with disabilities. It includes six categories:

1. “Your Own Path” – this nomination will bring together stories of personal and professional development: from sports and social achievements to successes in studies and career.

2. “Opening Opportunities” – this category will include the best projects and initiatives, entrepreneurial activities aimed at supporting other people.

3. “The Happiness of Being Together” – this category will feature stories of love, parenthood, partnership, and mutual support.

4. “Voice of Change” or “Language of Equality” – here will be collected achievements in the field of public communication aimed at changing attitudes toward citizens with disabilities.

5. “Towards Peace” – about travel, expeditions, and educational missions, also aimed at changing attitudes towards people with disabilities.

6. “Dream Without Borders” – about personal stories and dreams capable of inspiring others to achievements. The winner of this nomination will be determined by popular vote.

“All 12 nominations are important in their own way. But for me, the nomination about family happiness holds special value. Through family stories, through the example of their parents, a child begins to understand what trust, protection, and love are. It is in the family that the foundations of behavior in society are laid, including empathy, the ability to come to someone’s aid, and even self-sacrifice. Through this comes love for the Motherland, which is based on love for one’s family, respect for close ones and friends,” noted writer, screenwriter, producer, and public figure Oleg Roy.

The second track is “Standard of Living.” It gathers a variety of practices aimed at developing an inclusive environment. It also consists of six categories:

1. “Open Team” – best practices for employment, adaptation, and professional development of people with disabilities. The emphasis is not on the employer’s charity, but on the employee’s value within the team, with real career paths.

2. “Culture Without Borders” – cultural projects where accessibility, participation, and co-creation become a natural part of artistic life.

3. “Education for Everyone” – practices aimed at creating opportunities for learning and development, projects and solutions for which inclusion is one of the elements of the norm of life.

4. “Enablement Technologies” – digital, engineering, and other technological solutions, services, and innovations that enhance the independence or expand the capabilities of people with disabilities.

5. “Needing Each Other” – projects in which people and animals help each other find support, trust, and a new meaning in life.

6. “Territory of Equal Opportunities” – a category for regions that assesses a comprehensive approach to the development of an accessible environment and the creation of opportunities for self-realization of people with disabilities.

“We often talk about inclusion as a problem to be solved. I prefer another formulation: it is an environment where people find it easy to live. Such an environment is built in schools, in manufacturing, in museums, in cities. Therefore, we are always ready to support such wonderful ideas and projects. Especially since the topic of inclusion is not new for our foundation – for ten years, the foundation’s program “Inclusive Environment” has been systematically working on this. The award gathers the best examples in one place. The foundation helps those who create these examples. We do the same work, just from different angles,” said Pyotr Polozhevets, Executive Director of the Sberbank Charitable Foundation “Contribution to the Future.”

You can apply to participate by the link. The application includes a form with a brief description of the story or project. You can register as a participant from October 9 to November 30.

“Pity diminishes a person, and over time they themselves begin to believe in this view of themselves. That is why it is so important how we talk about people with disabilities and portray them. When I was trying to get into modeling agencies, they told me: society is not ready yet. But how can it be ready if such people are nowhere to be seen? Therefore, I appeal to those who doubt participation: do not wait for the fear to completely disappear, and do not decide in advance that your story or work is not interesting enough,” shared Veronika Levenets, founder of the inclusive center “Infinite Opportunities.”

Applications submitted to the Dobro.RF portal will go through several stages of evaluation. They may include both a textual description of the story or project, as well as photo and video materials. Initially, regional commissions select up to three applications per category (six for the categories “Voice of Change” or “Language of Equality”), which are then evaluated at the federal level by experts (at least 50% of whom are people with disabilities). Three applications from each category nationwide (six for “Voice of Change” or “Language of Equality”) advance to the final – the winners among them will be decided by a jury. The winner of the “Dream Without Borders” category will be chosen by public voting.

“The shift from aid for the individual to development together with the individual must become a trend. This is the essence of the modern inclusive model of regional development. New markets and niches are being formed: inclusive tourism, an accessible environment as a standard for all, social entrepreneurship focused on solving local problems. These are new business opportunities. The practice of inclusion as part of corporate culture is directly linked to increasing investment attractiveness. Modern investors and companies pay attention to quality of life and diversity. A region with a developed inclusive environment becomes more attractive for qualified specialists and responsible businesses,” said Mikhail Osokin, deputy chairman and director of regional development of the All-Russian Society of Disabled People.

At the federal level, the jury consisted of 14 people, including Olympic and Paralympic champions, People’s Artists, writers, and public figures who are close to the principles of inclusion. The competition was also supported by representatives of the business community and non-profit organizations, outstanding athletes, dancers and actors, writers and pop artists, clergy, public figures, and bloggers. Some joined the jury or expert commission, some intend to personally support the contestants, and singer Anna Osipova – Yuta wrote a song in honor of the competition.

“I joined the jury of this competition because it is important for me to convey to everyone who is in a difficult life situation one important thought – much can be overcome with the support of family and close people. I know this from my own experience. One of the competition categories is precisely dedicated to inspiring stories of love, parenthood, and partnership support,” noted Russian figure skater, 2006 Olympic ice dance champion, and honored master of sports of Russia Roman Kostomarov.

The competition is held with the support of the Ministry of Labor (competition coordinator), the Ministry of Digital Development, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Health, and the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs. The general partner of the competition is the Sberbank charitable foundation “Contribution to the Future.”

“Our new nationwide competition-award ‘Unlimited Opportunities’ is a unique large-scale project. Nothing like this has happened yet in the history of the Council under the Government on Social Welfare, or in the history of modern Russia. It is a chance to make yourself known, to showcase your projects, and to share success stories. And sometimes we ourselves do not realize how limitless our stories are,” said Diana Gurtzkaya, President of the Board of Trustees of the charitable foundation aiding blind and visually impaired children “At the Call of the Heart.”

The awards ceremony will take place in Moscow on April 22, 2027.

The All-Russian competition-award “Unlimited Possibilities” is a socially significant initiative of the Council under the Government on issues of social welfare.

The information partners of the competition were TASS and VGTRK. The competition was also supported by the social network “VKontakte”, “Dobro.RF”, IRI, and a number of other media outlets. Thanks to this informational support, the success stories of citizens with disabilities will become public knowledge.

Please note; This information is raw content received directly from the information source. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.