General Information
Contact
Zukunft Memorial e.V.
Natasha Konradova
c/o Körber-Stiftung
Pariser Platz 4a
10117 Berlin
Germany
E-Mail: maninhistorymemorial@gmail.com
Homepage: https://zukunft-memorial.org/geschichtswettbewerb-fuer-jugendliche/
https://koerber-stiftung.de/projekte/eustory/pilot-youth-project-by-memorial-in-exile-started/
About the organisation
Memorial International was one the oldest human rights NGOs in Russia and the umbrella organisation of the Memorial network – a movement that arose during Perestroika. Its main task is the awakening and preservation of the societal memory of the severe political persecution in the recent past of the Soviet Union. Memorial is engaged in wide-ranging and meticulous historical research of topics that have been inaccessible to Russian scholars until recently: the Gulag, the history of the security organisations, statistics on political repression in the Soviet Union, and dissidents' resistance during the Khrushchev-Brezhnev era. Several international research projects are conducted in which internationally recognised research centres in the humanities act as partners.
In the winter of 2021/22, Memorial International was formally liquidated by Russian authorities. Due to their ban in Russia and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine which Memorial has always condemned, Memorial relocated parts of their activities abroad to work in exile. In recognition of their work, Memorial was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2022.
On 16 May 2023, 15 Memorial institutions from 11 countries founded a new International Association Memorial in Geneva. This new association aims to integrate efforts and expertise of its members and to work on the legacies of Soviet terror in a European context.
The history competition
From 1999 to 2021, the history competition “A Person in History: Russia in the XX century” (formerly referred to as “Men in History — 20th century Russia”) was organised by the following institutions: Memorial International, Russian State Humanitarian University, and the Russian Academy of Education. The first national competition of research papers for high-school students was announced to build a functioning civil society by restoring and preserving the historical truth about the recent history of Russia. More than 45.000 Russian students took part in the competition and critically researched their local and family history. The competition project painted a diverse picture of the lives of people in the Soviet Union and the victims of past but even more recent state suppressions – an important supplement to Russia’s official politics of memory.
The liquidation of Memorial International by Russian authorities in the winter of 2021/2022 led to the halt of the competition.
In spring 2023, a Pilot Education Programme, renamed to “A Person in History: (Post-) Soviet Experience” was launched by Zukunft Memorial e.V. situated in Berlin, Germany. It is aimed at young people interested in Russian or Soviet History and/or with a Russian family background. The newly established educational activity kept the focus on the grass-root history of both individuals and communities. It encouraged young people to search for and work with historical sources, and conduct oral history interviews and small research projects to reflect on new meanings of (Post-) Soviet history today.
Since 2023, a new competition organised by Zukunft Memorial e.V. for teenagers outside of Russia, who either speak Russian, have Russian family roots, or are learning Russian as a foreign language. It consists of two phases: during the initial phase, applicants complete short assignments on Soviet history and are competitively selected for the program. Those selected have the chance to participate in online lectures and workshops on historical topics and can develop their own research projects in small groups with support from the competition's curators. The jury selects the most outstanding works, and their authors are invited to the summer school to create multimedia projects based on their studies.
Requirements
The history competition is open for two age groups: teenagers between 14 and 15 years, and young adults between 16 and 19 years.
Participants should be based outside Russia.
The working language of the competition is Russian, however, fluency is not required.
Jury
The jury includes Memorial employees, history teachers, researchers, and journalists.
Awards
Winners of the competition have the chance to participate in summer or winter schools, which can be held online or at various locations throughout Eurasia.
These events are designed to enhance skills such as multimedia techniques, including video and animation production, and also offer the opportunity to translate research projects into multimedia presentations suitable for publication.