Published on: 2026-10-14
Source: Government of the Russian Federation –
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On October 13, at the State Kremlin Palace during the award ceremony for the winners of the All-Russian competition “Family of the Year,” the winners of the first “Family Capital of Russia” competition were announced. In 2027, two cities will become family capitals – Nizhny Novgorod and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
“Among the national development goals set by the President, the first is the preservation of the population and support for families. We strive to expand the circle of those who work to strengthen family values, develop family infrastructure, and create a family-friendly environment for large and multigenerational families. This will also be facilitated by the new All-Russian contest ‘Family Capital of Russia,’ which is held at the initiative of the Chairman of the State Council Commission on the ‘Family’ direction, Artyom Alekseyevich Zdunov. The purpose of the contest is to identify the most family-oriented, comfortable, and convenient cities for families in Russia and to replicate the best practices. I am confident that the experience of our winning cities will spread throughout the country,” noted Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova.
In the competition for the title of “Family Capital of Russia,” teams from 60 cities with a population of at least 100,000 participated. These are regional capitals, industrial and cultural centers of the country from all federal districts.
“It is important that the selection of winners and laureates was conducted based on a wide range of criteria. The first set of criteria is real demographic dynamics: birth rate, the number of large families, stability of marriages. The second – integral indicators: availability of family infrastructure, the system of family support measures both from the region and the city, as well as from employers, businesses, and NGOs, and the information policy to form a positive image of the family and large families. I thank the experts for the work done. Colleagues not only evaluated the submitted applications but also conducted inspection visits. I hope that the results of the competition will serve as an example for city authorities, businesses, and that the practices of the best “pro-family” cities will be applied throughout the country,” said Minister of Labor and Social Protection Anton Kotyakov.
The most active were the cities of the Volga region – with 21 contenders for the victory. Eight applications each were received from the Southern and Central federal districts, and seven participants represent the Siberian regions. Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Primorsky and Krasnodar Krais, Samara Oblast, and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug each delegated three or more participants.
“The competition was held on the instructions of the President of Russia, at the initiative of the State Council commission for the ‘Family’ direction and with the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives. Cities from 39 regions of the country participated. Behind this figure stands significant and tangible work by the management teams of regions and cities, with the assistance of socially responsible business and NGOs. The finalist cities demonstrated the best family-centric practices for creating comfortable conditions for families planning and raising children, and for improving their quality of life. Among them are the advanced school of regional maternity capital, programs for full mortgage repayment upon the birth of the fourth and subsequent children, active implementation of the corporate demographic standard, and the development of a family-oriented public environment. We are confident that the competition has given an impetus for everyone to more actively use successful practices and implement new solutions. Families with children are our priority,” noted the Head of the Republic of Mordovia, Chairman of the State Council commission on the ‘Family’ direction, Artyom Zdunov.
As a result of the selection, two cities became the family capitals of Russia at once – Nizhny Novgorod and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
In the category “City of Future Generations,” Tula was named the winner.
In the category “City for a large family” – Novosibirsk and Sevastopol.
In the category “Flagship of Large Families” – Penza and Ryazan.
In the category “City of Happy Parenthood” – Khanty-Mansiysk and Omsk.
In the nomination “City of Family Stability” – Saransk and Kazan.
Recall that the “Family Capital of Russia” contest is an initiative of the State Council Commission on the “Family” direction. The contest is conducted with the support of the Ministry of Labor, the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives, and aims to identify and disseminate best practices for creating a comfortable environment for families with children in cities across the country. Its goal is to stimulate the activity of municipalities to create family-centered environments in cities, comfortable conditions for families planning and raising children, to improve the quality of life of families with children, and to spread successful experiences in supporting large families.
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