Voting for the Best Youth Travel Projects in Russia

What is the “More Than a Trip” award?

It is the first prize in the country dedicated to people who design and promote useful travel experiences for young people. The programme runs under the national project “Youth and Children” and is backed by several state bodies, including Rosmolodezh, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Economic Development.

How was the list of finalists formed?

During the remote stage a panel of experts evaluated the applications. More than 17 thousand submissions arrived from youngsters across every Russian region. After the experts sorted them into six main categories (tour, excursion, hike, media, service, place of power) 72 projects remained and moved on to the final.

Categories that take part in the public vote

Out of eight core categories, seven are open to citizens’ voting:

• More Than a Tour – projects that suggest new routes and tourism formats.
• More Than an Excursion – initiatives that reveal cultural and historical heritage.
• More Than a Hike – ideas for active recreation and adventure.
• More Than Media – content that tells travel stories.
• More Than Service – service‑oriented solutions for tourists.
• More Than a Place of Power – projects linked to spiritual or health‑focused practices.
• More Than a Traveler – the most “people‑driven” category, where three winners are chosen from 30 publications.

The “More Than a Region” category is judged solely by the jury, without a public vote.

How to vote?

1. Register on the official award site – большечемпремия.рф.
2. Log in and go to the voting section.
3. Browse the project cards: each entry includes a description, its goal and the expected impact.
4. Cast your vote for the initiatives you like. For the “More Than a Traveler” category you first need to reach the top‑30, which is decided by the engagement the publications receive on social media and the website.

Voting stays open until October 25. After the deadline the results will be merged with scores from the in‑person presentations in Moscow, where on October 11 the finalists will pitch their projects to an expert council.

What is taken into account when counting?

For the six main categories the final ranking is built from two components:

• Jury scores – professional assessment that looks at the tourism, educational and practical aspects of the project.
• Public votes – the number of votes gathered in the online poll.

These figures are combined in a set proportion, and the winners are announced at a ceremony in Moscow.

Why take part?

According to Rosmolodezh head Grigory Gurov, young people’s interest in traveling around Russia is growing, and the quality of the projects is improving. Joining the award brings:

• Public recognition – support from fellow citizens and potential partners.
• State backing – the chance to embed the solutions into government tourism and youth programmes.
• Skill development – public defenses sharpen presentation abilities and yield valuable expert feedback.

Who stands behind the award?

Besides the state structures, the prize is supported by a host of partners: student‑tourism programmes, strategic development centres, large tourism companies, cultural and educational organisations, as well as media partners such as TASS, Mail & Russia, Travel Russian News and others.

What happens after the ceremony?

Winners receive not only certificates but also the opportunity to develop their initiatives further. Awarded projects may become part of state tourism tasks, and their ideas can seed new programmes aimed at pulling youth into active, thoughtful travel across Russia.

How to follow the voting progress?

All updates are posted in the official “More Than a Trip” community on VKontakte and on the award’s website. There you can see the current leaders, dive into project details and learn about upcoming events linked to the final presentations.

Results and outlook

Last year the online poll gathered over 125 thousand votes. Organisers expect an even higher response this year, given the rising interest in domestic tourism among young people. For participants it’s a chance to win broad support; for the country it’s a way to spot and scale the best ideas that can make traveling around Russia more accessible, educational and useful.

If you care about trips that change how the country is perceived, find a project that matches your values and back it with your vote. Your participation can truly tip the balance.

Based on materials from: trn-news.ru.