Mintimer Shaimiev awards winners of Bolgar and Sviyazhsk themed drawing and essay competition

Tatarstan’s Revival Foundation board of trustees chairman Mintimer Shaimiev on the Children’s Day presented awards to the winners of a Tatarstan-wide Bolgar and Sviyazhsk themed drawing and essay competition. The ceremony took place at the Kazan Kremlin. Other attendees were Tatarstan Education and Science Minister Engel Fattakhov, Revival Foundation executive director Tatiana Larionova, and other officials.

Beginning his welcoming remarks, Mintimer Shaimiev greeted those present on the holiday: “My greetings to you on this beautiful holiday. It is dedicated to protecting our present and future and the thing we care most about,” he said.

He recalled that one of the greatest joys for his mother had been to give enough food to her children. “Nowadays, giving children enough food is, fortunately, not a problem,” Shaimiev added.

Mintimer Shaimiev thanked the competition organisers on behalf of acting Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov and congratulated the winners, calling them ‘trailblazers’. Bolgar and Sviyazhsk had an eventful history and became increasingly more attractive for tourists, he claimed. One of the biggest achievements of the recent years was Bolgar’s inclusion in Unesco’s World Heritage List.

Shaimiev presented letters of commendation and books to the teachers of the winners, while Engel Fattakhov gave certificates and e-books to schoolchildren. The ceremony included videos about Kazan, Bolgar, Sviyazhsk and Yelabuga, where increasingly more tourists travel.

Mintimer Shaimiev gave commemorative books to five first-year school pupils who had won a First Year’s Cultural Diary project.

The drawings voted the best were given over to the Bolgar and Sviyazhsk museums’ directors

The ceremony concluded with a concert with the participation of children, and a photo opportunity.

The Tatarstan-wide competition of drawings and essays on Bolgar and Sviyazhsk themes has been held since early 2015, a total of 321 entries being sent in.