RUSSIAN NATIONAL JUNIOR WATER PRIZE

RUSSIAN NATIONAL JUNIOR WATER PRIZE

The contest was launched in 2003.

Organizer – Autonomous noncommercial organization “Environmental Projects Consulting Institute”, director - Dr. Natalia Davydova.

Chairman of National Nomination Committee – Prof. A. N. Kosarikov, vice-chairman of Committee on the Environment of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.

Objective of Contest – Organization of independent public creative contest among high school students for the best project in the area of protection and restoration of water resources. This contest stimulates creative activities of high school students focusing on problems of drinking water sector, treatment of waste waters, preservation of biodiversity in urban and rural fresh water reservoirs, and studies of correlation of water-related, climatic and other factors.

This contest consists of three stages:

Who may participate. All high school students of general schools, lyceums and gymnasiums, aged from 14 to 20, are eligible to participate. (College and university students cannot qualify for this contest.)
High school students are free to choose a research topic in the following areas: protection and management of water resources. The research should be oriented at environmental/ecosystem rehabilitation. The contestants may present projects in the area of technology, natural and social sciences. They should use modern scientific methods and approaches to solution of problems in water sector. They should take into account priority goals of state policy in the area of protection and restoration of water resources. The nomination committee will welcome both fundamental and applied research projects, as well as projects aimed at solution of water problems at municipal level. Eligible projects shall employ standard research methods and techniques, commonly accepted monitoring and presentation methods, including statistical processing of data.

Nominations.
The winner of national contest in general nomination will represent the Russian Federation at Stockholm Junior Water Prize.
Apart from general nomination, there are several thematic nominations:

Statistical highlights:

The winning projects:
2003
General nomination – “Optimization of self-purification processes in River Iset within Ekaterinburg city limits”.
2004
General nomination – “Specific aspects of formation of underground waters used as drinking water source in Turukhansk village of Krasnoyarsk Region”.
Nomination “Preservation of biodiversity of water ecosystems of Russian cities” – “Environmental situation of Efremiatsky pond” – Perm region;
Nomination of Chairman of National Nomination Committee – “Culture of water use” – Republic of Chuvashia
2005
General nomination – “Micro zoo benthos composition method of bio-indication of water quality in coastal area of Novosibirsk reservoir” – Novosibirsk region;
Nomination “Preservation of biodiversity of water ecosystems of Russian cities” – “Geo-botanical and geo-chemical research of lakes” – Republic Mari El;
Nomination “Water and climate” – “Possible consequences of global warming for communities of littoral zone of Lahta Bay” – Leningrad region;
Nomination of Chair of National Nomination Committee – “Monitoring of lake water quality in Magan village” – Republic Sakha-Yakutia.
2006
General nomination – “Legal status of the islands’ ecosystem of plain reservoirs” – Tatarstan Republic
Nomination “Preservation of biodiversity of water ecosystems of Russian cities” – “Description of Yasnopolyanskie bogs as freshwater ecosystems” – Tula region.
Nomination “Water and climate” – “Climatic characteristics of the Kostroma region from 1998 till 2005” – Kostroma region.
Nomination “Protection and restoration of water resources in the Volga river basin”- “Examination of ecological condition of the State complex natural reserve “Suzdal Water” – Vladimir region.

The new nominations are planned to be established in 2007: