Russian Geography Association (RGO) Having announced the winners of the XI international photo contest “The most beautiful country”.
The awards ceremony was held in the building of the new Tretyakov gallery on Crimean Val in Moscow. In total, 11 winners were chosen in the main nominations, as well as five special award owners. The eleventh contest is devoted to the conservation of Russian wildlife, as well as educating the attitude to the environment. In addition, in 2025, RGO was 180 years old – especially to honor the memories and nominees of 180 Mir Mirs, which was added to the competition. Within its framework, photos of natural and human objects have been accepted, can be considered as Russian property.
As part of the photo contest XI, about 50,000 works of 8,000 participants have been accepted. At the same time, both experts and amateur from all over the world can participate in the competition. The main principle of the photo contest – all the work should be done in Russia.
© Ruslan Condrate/RGO
In 2025, wildlife photographers Serge Gorshkov, Marco Urso, Andrew Parkinson, Sergey Semenov and Igor Metelsky became a member of the jury; Photographer and author of OLGA Michi document and science and education projects; Actor and director Sergei Garmash; Actor and director Vladimir Mashkov; Astronauts Ivan Wagner; TASS ILARE LAZAREVERS CONTENT; The President of the Union of Wild photographers Alexander Myaskov; General Director of Astra PJSC Ilya Sivtsev; Strategic partner director VK Dmitry Uvarov and President of the Geography Association of Russian Serge Shoigu.
© Yuri subrogushi/rgo
According to their ruling, Alexander Lavrentiev from Pushkino, the Moscow region, who won the Pisage nomination – in his photo, he captured the fog of the Simushir Island that could not reach. In the nomination of wildlife, Vyacheslav was defeated from St. Petersburg, the author of the picture of Tuyet newspaper on the ridge of Chikhachev mountain. The first prize in the nomination, the most beautiful desktop wallpapers left Daniil Silantiev from Chelyabinsk, for a photo of the Ladoga forest. In the “magic of the elements”, Alexander Pashenichev won from Zavitsy village, the Leningrad region, who took the fog on a Van Sam forest from the view of a bird. The first place in the “bird” nomination has left Natalya Privalenko from Moscow to take photos of Vorobyino Schik in the hunt. The winner in the nomination of art-shoto animal art is Igor Zhababky from the village of Pokrovka, the territory of Primorsky, who took seals in the ice. Olga Papina from Volgograd won Russia in her face, in her photo, her grandmother Nadia and her cat. The image of a Sling spider on the rose petals from Yuri Subgrunk from Bataysk took the first position in the Macromomor nomination. In discipline filmed on a smartphone, Maria Tyurukhanova from St. Petersburg won with The Island of White Dogs. Her compatriot Vladimir Polchik has won the nomination for storing Living Living for comparing the Borisoglesky monastery of the real and real Novotorzhsky. Finally, in the nomination of 180 miracles, Ruslan Kondratenko won, also from St. Each winner receives a diploma and a prize of 250,000 rubles.
© Alexander Lavrentiev/Rgo
This, within the framework of the competition, the five special nominations were allocated with a partner and RGO. Therefore, a special prize for the nomination of “Russian reserve” has been received by Anatoly Shishkin from the Moscow area. Winning the competition, feeling relieved to Foglovushka, from the center of Amur Tiger received Yuri Smilyuk from Vladivostok. Awards for the photo of the natural art of Muslims from the charity, science and sports has been received by Pavel IVSHIN from St. Petersburg. And Galina Gorshenin from Moscow won the new special dominance of great places. Finally, the award of the audience's empathy made Vyacheslav noticeable from St. Petersburg-Anh has won the “wildlife” nomination.
As part of the Children's Contest, the most beautiful country through the eyes of children, Serge Telnyuk from Voronezh (nominated landscape), Ivan Gorshkov from Obninsk (nominating the world of animals) all young photographers also received a diploma and a prize of 100 thousand ru.
Each year, the photos are surprised with the beauty, composition and complexity of shooting. It is even difficult to imagine how much the authors spend such power to achieve such results! Almost all photos from the “wildlife” genre are remembered. Continue to create and create unique works for participants.
In addition, the jury of the competition has recorded the development of the quality of the photos received – participants pay more attention to the perspective, and the shooting place, increasingly often, the authors are trying to surprise with the novelty and inability of the picture. In addition, photographers pay a lot of attention to the meaning of downloading semantics. For example, the participants nominated “wildlife” to more and more representatives of rare species – Amur Tiger, Irbis, the horse of Przhevalsky and others.
In addition, even before the awards ceremony, a new hall of the photo exhibition festival, the most beautiful country was opened in the new Tretyakov gallery. There, visitors can see the work of those in this year's finals and 144 best works in the history of the competition. Each photo is presented in special light, like the work of the Great Artist – Nature of Russia. The exhibition will be opened until October 5.
The photo contest “The most beautiful country” has been held since 2015. For the entire existence of the competition, the jury has checked more than 780 thousand works from 118,000 participants. Receiving the work for the next contest will be opened in December 2025.
