15 / January / 2022

Russia-China Video Contest Winners Named

On January 15, the award ceremony for the winners of the first Russia-China video contest was held in Changzhou, Jiangsu province. The organizers officially closed the competition and announced its results. Out of several hundred videos submitted in Russia and China, the jury chose ten. Their authors received cash prizes. Two more winners were determined based on the results of the audience vote. The ceremony was held as part of a global event: the International Online – Video Event Series.

The Russia-China Video Contest was held for the first time in 2021. The organizer on the part of Russia was SPB TV Media, a company that specializes in content distribution, while the organizers on the part of China were the China Mobile telecommunications giant and the MIGU media platform owned by it. The contest was supported by the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television of the People's Republic of China. Leading Russian universities, including the Higher School of Economics and Don State Technical University, became partners to the event.

Over 700 videos were submitted. The contest was held in Russia and China simultaneously, and the videos sent by participants in each of the two countries were considered separately. The contestants were expected to show their region, city, and country in the way that would impress their neighbors in China and in Russia, respectively. The videos arrived from both large cities and small settlements located in various regions of the two countries – all the way from Russia's St. Petersburg and Rostov-on-Don to Vladivostok and Kamchatka, and from China's Beijing to Urumqi. During the contest, the participating videos gained up to 800 thousand views on Weibo, Facebook, YouTube and other media platforms.

The contest winners in Russia:

First (gold) Prize

Ilya Tyan (Blagoveshchensk, Amur region) – "Amur Travel" video.

Second (silver) Prize

Vadim Ushanev (Moscow) – "Altai Mountains" aerial photography video.

Kirill Yankovsky (Volzhsk, Republic of Mari El) – "I'm from Mari El" video.

Third (bronze) Prize

Elikhan Batotsyrenov (Ulan-Ude, Republic of Buryatia) – "Welcome to Sunny Buryatia" video.

Elizaveta Melnikova (Moscow) – "Russian Village" video.

According to the results of the viewer vote organized on the contest YouTube channel, the Audience Award went to Ekaterina Volochaeva (Aksai, Rostov region) and her video named "From Russia."

The Russian jury was headed by A. K. Volin, CEO of "Satellite Communications" Federal State Unitary Enterprise (previously Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation (2012-2020). The jury also included M.V. Demin, President of the Media Communication Union, and K.B. Filippov, CEO of SPB TV Group of Companies.

Mikhail Demin, President of the Media Communication Union, noted: "We are now witnessing a real boom in the development of video content. Earlier it was the exclusive prerogative of cinema and television; now, in the era of rapid development of digital technologies, anyone can try their hand at creating and distributing video content. The Russia-China Video Contest is a great opportunity to support talented people and help them in their further development as bloggers and videographers. (if possible: remove this phrase and give it to KB) Besides, the international format of the competition promotes cultural exchange between the two neighbors – China and Russia – and enriches their knowledge of each other. I sincerely congratulate the winners and wish them success in their future endeavors!"

"The main criteria followed by the jury in the nominees selection were the creative approach and the accuracy in presenting the main idea of the competition by using available means, i.e. showing Russia to its neighbors in China. Not all of the participants are professionals, but we tried to take this into account and treat all creative authors equally," – added A.K. Volin, CEO of "Satellite Communications."

K.B. Filippov also noted the participants showing great interest in the theme and format of the contest. "There were so many interesting videos that it took the jury several weeks to make the final decision. It won't be an exaggeration to say that one can use these videos to study the geography and culture of our country. There are so many talented people in Russia – and we are truly proud of this! We hope that holding such a competition will become a good tradition."

The results of the first Russia-China Video Contest were also announced in China.

The First Prize was awarded to the video named "Tang Xilan, a poetess from Russia: "My idol Li Bo"." This short film tells the story of Tang Xilan, a Russian girl who is passionate about Chinese culture. During her studies in China, she got fascinated by traditional Chinese poetry and music.

By the unanimous decision of the Chinese and Russian jury members, the "Summer Feast" and "Golden Bull: Song Flash Mob" videos received the silver.

And the audience awards went to the "How I cook my signature Chinese dish" and "From Russia" videos.

About 50 videos created by the finalists of the contest will be posted on SPB TV services.

The organizers expect that the Russia-China Video Contest will be held regularly from now on.

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About SPB TV Media

SPB TV Media specializes in the distribution and promotion of content in the media sphere. The company is a major participant of a number of international projects and is actively operating in the media markets of Russia and China. SPB TV Media is part of the SPB TV Group of Companies (a resident of Skolkovo Innovation Center and a developer of integrated technological solutions for launching OTT, IP and mobile TV services).

About China Mobile and Migu

China Mobile is a Chinese telecommunications company and the largest mobile operator in the world by the number of subscribers (more than 940 million); it is on the FT Global 500 list of the most expensive and influential public companies in the world (published annually by the Financial Times), as well as on the Forbes Global 2000 list.

Migu is a media platform that is part of the China Mobile group. It has the largest library of digital content in China and offers its users various formats of content: videos, music, digital media and interactive entertainment. MIGU cooperates with multiple global production companies and sports leagues.

Website of the Russia-China Video Contest: https://spbtv.media/crc /