Expert Overview

Handwritten Russian-language essay competition for U.S. secondary school students of Russian, run by the American Council of Teachers of Russian since 1981. Students write for two hours under a teacher’s supervision and are judged by level and background, with medals awarded on a 100-point scale.

Format

Individual

Judging Format

Jurors (anonymous evaluation)

Recognition

Grade Eligibility

Rising Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors

Geographic Eligibility

U.S.

Discipline

Essay ContestRussian LanguageCreative WritingForeign Language

Entries

606

Percent Awarded

15-20%

Important Dates

Registration Opens

Fall 2026

Registration Deadline

October 23, 2026

Passed

Open

Approaching: < 1 mo.

Priority: < 2 weeks

Urgent: < 1 week

Registration Cost

Per student

About

Teachers enter their students, and must be current ACTR members; individuals cannot enter. Each student writes one handwritten essay in Russian in a single two-hour school session, using a classroom textbook only for single words. Essays are judged at four levels (Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, Native Speaker), with heritage learners separate at the first three. A 100-point scale sets the award: 90 to 100 is Gold, 80 to 89 Silver, 70 to 79 Bronze, each with a medal; lower scores receive an Honorable Mention certificate.

Recognition follows the score band rather than rank, and coordinators are told that any seriously participating student should receive at least an Honorable Mention, so the medal tier is the real credential. Gold essays at the Advanced, Advanced Heritage, and Native Speaker levels are re-read by a native Russian-speaking judge at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. The organizer publishes no entry totals, so the share of students reaching each tier cannot be stated. Registration carries a per-student fee.

A Gold medal shows a student can write sustained Russian under timed, unaided conditions.