On December 9, 2024, the Tretyakov Gallery on Kadashevskaya Embankment hosted a ceremony for the 21st Runet Prize, the national award for contributions to internet technology. This year’s edition was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Russian segment of the internet.
Sergey Grebennikov, Director of the Russian Association of Electronic Communications (RAEC), noted that over the years, Runet Prize has become a significant and prestigious fixture in the state, public and industry landscape, reflecting the high professionalism of the individual specialists and teams.
“The winners’ achievements underscore Russia’s successes in technology and the industry’s commitment to creating convenient and aesthetically pleasing digital services. We are confident that we will see new discoveries in the future, and each prize winner is making his or her own contribution to this endeavor,” he added.
This year, the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.RF, the traditional industry partner of the Runet Prize, established a special category, 30 Years of .RU, to honor the anniversary of Russia’s country code domain. This category recognizes projects that have contributed to the development of Runet for three decades, and have been instrumental in preserving the Runet history and promoting the domain industry’s growth.
The 30 Years of .RU Prize was awarded for the following projects:
- The Thrice-Tenth Kingdom of Runet, a Rossiyskaya Gazeta project;
- Digital Technologies in Moscow: The 30th Anniversary of Runet.
In addition, the Runet Prize Organizing Committee decided to award several special diplomas:
- Runet Day at VDNKh;
- The 30 Years of Runet Troika transport card;
- Integral Research Institute’s monthly information and analytical magazine;
- ARDIS, an accredited registrar in .RU and .RF.
Director of the Coordination Center Andrey Vorobyev presented the awards to the winners.
“The Runet Prize has been awarded for 21 years. The statuette holding the ccTLD .ru sign remained unchanged for two decades, but it changed this year. As we see, in addition to the .ru sign, it also has the number 30 because it is a unique anniversary design. What do all the Runet Prize winners have in common? Naturally, it is their love for the .ru domain and the fantastic projects they have completed to mark its 30th anniversary. This year’s ceremony is actually a good bridge to next year’s edition, as we will celebrate the 15th anniversary of Russia’s second national domain, .рф, in 2025. This important event will surely be reflected in next-year’s awards,” he said.
One of the special diplomas from the Runet Prize Organizing Committee went to the Study the Internet School of Mentors, a Coordination Center’s project, in the Education and Personnel category.
The School of Mentors is a professional development program for teachers and other specialists working with children and youth. Co-organized with the Academy of Innovative Education and Development, it is an extension of another Coordinating Center’s educational project, Explore the Internet & Govern It.
