Participants of the World Youth Festival will meet with “Physicists and Lyricists”

From March 1 to March 7, 2024, according to the decree of the President of Russia, the World Youth Festival will be held on the federal territory of Sirius. One of the events of this prestigious international forum will be the photo exhibition “Physicists and Lyricists” (Science & Art). It will feature photographic portraits of laureates of Russian Federation awards in the field of science and culture. The opening of the exhibition will take place on March 3.

The lens of photographer Vladimir Shirokov includes ten scientists and ten cultural figures. Next to the pictures are quotes from the project participants. They talk about the relationship between science and culture and seem to be in dialogue with each other. Video interviews and footage from the set can be viewed on the website scienceplusculture.rf.

The heroes of the exhibition are the winners of prestigious awards: the Russian Presidential Prize in the field of science and innovation for young scientists, the National Prize in the field of future technologies “Challenge”, the Moscow Government Prize for young scientists, the State Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of literature and art, the Russian Government Prize in the field of culture , National Theater Award «Golden Mask», National Cinematography Award «Golden Eagle».

The exhibition “Physicists and Lyricists” is part of the large-scale project “Science + Culture” of the Foundation for the Development of Scientific and Cultural Relations “Challenge”. The concept was presented by the President of the Challenge Foundation, Leonid Shlyakhover, in his speech at the Forum of Future Technologies of the Roscongress Foundation, which was held on February 13–14 in Moscow. Leonid Shlyakhover said that scientists often remain behind the scenes; they are usually unknown outside the scientific community. Although the results of their work change people's lives every day. The “Challenge” Foundation’s project “Science + Culture” aims to change this situation and make the profession of a scientist honorable and prestigious, to tell about the achievements of Russian science in a simple and accessible language, to introduce the general public, especially the young audience, to outstanding Russian scientists.

The creators of the project are confident that scientists should be as popular and famous as actors, directors, and musicians. After all, science and culture are united in the desire for inspiration and progress.

After the World Youth Festival, residents of Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Kazan will be able to get acquainted with the photo exhibition “Physicists and Lyricists.”

The “Physicists and Lyricists” project will help increase the authority of Russian scientists. For the same purpose, the National Award for Future Technologies “Challenge” was created. It is timed to coincide with the Decade of Science and Technology announced in 2022 and is designed to celebrate breakthrough ideas and inventions that are changing the landscape of modern science and the lives of every person. The founder of the prize is the Foundation for the Development of Scientific and Cultural Relations “Challenge” together with Gazprombank with the support of the Moscow government. The first awards ceremony took place in December 2023.

The activities of the Challenge Foundation are aimed at creating an expert community in the field of science and technology, as well as developing international scientific communications.