On December 5, 2012 the award ceremony for the winners of the International Literary Award “Polar Star” will be held in St. Petersburg as part of the International Forum “Arctic: Today And The Future”.

 International Literary Award “Polar Star” was established by the Union of Writers of Russia together with “Arcticmorgeo” and “Neftegazmontazhservis” companies with the support of the Government of St. Petersburg.

 The Award aims to draw readers’ attention to the topic of Arctic exploration, challenging living and working conditions in the polar regions, unique beauty of the Northern Territory, the spirit and traditions of the Far North. When considering the contest works, special attention will be on skillfully created images of characters who dedicated their lives to the North, its development, preservation of its unique culture, environment, ethnography, and ecosystem.

 Contest works cover the special spirit of polar explorers, an unspoken code of Arctic solidarity and those creative polar aspirations being consistent with the spirit of the Far North. These books tell about revival and support of the national traditions of the peoples living in the Far North: Arkhangelsk and Murmansk regions, Republic of Karelia, Komi Republic, Republic of Yakutia (Sakha) and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous District and Kamchatka region. Award participants may also include the representatives of the Arctic Council Member States: Canada, USA, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland.

 Nominations are provided in the following categories: prose, poetry, memoirs, journalism, essay, ethnography (polar studies) and fairy tales.  Of particular importance is the nomination “For Contribution to Promotion and Development of the North".

The Award Organizing Committee includes writers, artists, and polar explorers – A.N. Chilingarov, V.N. Ganichev, S.I. Yegorov and others.

Detailed information about the Literary Award can be found at the Union of Russian Writers.