On May 20 in Kazan, Russia, Simon Bartley, President of WorldSkills International (seated left), and DS Jang, Secretary General of Samsung Skills at Samsung Electronics, are taking part in a signing ceremony announcing Samsung’s sponsorship of WorldSkills Kazan 2019. Standing behind them is Rustam Nurgalievich Minnikhanov, President of the Republic of Tatarstan, of which Kazan is the capital.

Every other year, hundreds of talented young people from around the world gather to compete in the WorldSkills Competition – also known as the “World Championships of Skills.” This year’s competition, held from August 22 to 27 in Kazan, Russia, will mark the seventh consecutive time that Samsung Electronics has sponsored the prestigious event and the fourth consecutive time that the company has served as WorldSkills’ sole Overall Event Presenter (OEP).

WorldSkills Kazan 2019 is expected to draw approximately 1,400 competitors from 67 countries. Contestants will showcase their skills while representing their country in competitions spanning nearly 60 trades and vocations, including carpentry, engineering, culinary and graphic design, and much more.

The goal for this and each WorldSkills Competition is to inspire competitors to reach new heights and help them turn their passion into a profession. For Samsung, the competition presents a valuable opportunity to support vocational training in countries around the world, and nurture the development of future engineers.

“Samsung Electronics’ sponsorship of our event is meaningful because Samsung believes that companies should play a big role in helping teenagers hone their skills and create their own careers,” said Simon Bartley, President of WorldSkills International.

Samsung has a long history of supporting young workers’ professional pursuits. In addition to hosting the annual Global Samsung Skills Competition, which offers a platform for its skilled employees to enhance and showcase their skills excellence, the company has been a sponsor of Korea’s National Skills Competition and a consistent supporter of Team Korea in the WorldSkills Competition since 2007.

Korea will send around 50 competitors to this year’s WorldSkills Competition, 19 of whom hail from Samsung Electronics, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Samsung Heavy Industries, and Samsung BioLogics. These talented young Samsung employees will compete in a total of 15 categories, including mechatronics and mobile robotics.

In addition to contributing 1.5 million euros to this year’s event, Samsung plans to install an on-site experience zone that will offer competitors and visitors an up-close look at the company’s latest innovations.

“Samsung has deeply understood the importance of skilled workforce for industry and strongly believed that their skills excellence leads to the competitiveness of their companies and countries,” said DS Jang, Secretary General of Samsung Skills (a division of Samsung Electronics). “That’s why Samsung has participated in WorldSkills movement over ten years and supported young professionals making their dreams and hopes come true through skills excellence.”

The demonstration zone was set up in the exhibition hall of the Popov Central Museum of Radio Communications, one of the world’s oldest museums of science and technology, in St. Petersburg. Guests and journalists were given the chance to make HD video calls and play a football simulation video game on Samsung’s 5G prototype tablets. 5G provides an unprecedented mobile video game user experience by dramatically reducing the response rate between devices.

The demonstrations also included streaming of 4K ultra-high definition video. These trials utilized Samsung’s 5G end-to-end solutions including 5G routers (CPE, Customer Premise Equipment) and prototype tablets, 5G radio access unit, virtualized RAN and virtualized core network.

“Our goal is to adapt new technologies to commercial use in cooperation with industry-leading vendors. Today’s trial with Samsung Electronics demonstrates that 5G is not an academic theory, but presents a nearly ready set of practical network solutions that will allow customers to manage a broad range of everyday tasks and open new opportunities that are unachievable on 4G,” commented Pavel Korotin, Director of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region, MTS.

“Today’s tests demonstrated the readiness of MTS’s network infrastructure for the deployment of 5G. Samsung is pleased to have MTS as our partner to together explore the capabilities of 5G that are essential to unlocking near-term use cases for both customers and enterprises,” said Seungsik Choi, Vice President of Samsung Electronics Russia.

Samsung and MTS began their cooperation in 2014 with the launch of LTE networks in the Northwestern Federal District of Russia, including St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. In the second half of 2017, Samsung and MTS signed an agreement to expand and upgrade MTS’ network with LTE-Advanced Pro and IoT features. The companies will also continue their collaboration on 5G.

About Mobile TeleSystems PJSC

Mobile TeleSystems PJSC (“MTS” – NYSE:MBT; MOEX:MTSS), the leading telecommunications group in Russia and the CIS, provides a range of mobile, fixed-line and digital services. We serve over 100 million mobile subscribers in Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, and Belarus, and about 9 million customers of fixed-line services, including fixed voice, broadband internet, and pay-TV. To keep pace with evolving customer demand, MTS is redefining what telecommunications services are by offering innovative products beyond its core network-related businesses in various tech segments, including Big Data, financial and banking services, internet of things, OTT, cloud computing, systems integration and e-commerce.

We leverage our market-leading retail network as a platform for customer services and sales of devices and accessories. MTS maintains its leadership in the Russian mobile market in terms of revenue and profitability. MTS is majority-owned by Sistema PJSFC. Since 2000, MTS shares have been listed on the New York Stock Exchange and since 2003 – on the Moscow Exchange. For more information, please visit: www.mtsgsm.com.

The new Center’s main research areas will be computer vision and basic algorithms for AI platform. The Center will also expand the field of AI for key areas such as robotics, intelligent driving assistance, as well as those for future projects by Samsung.

The Samsung AI Center in Russia will be led by Professor Dmitry Vetrov of the Higher School of Economics (HSE). With a Ph.D. degree in Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Vetrov is also the Head of Samsung’s laboratory at the Center for Deep Learning, and Bayesian Methods Research Group at the HSE.

Professor Dmitry Vetrov, the leader of Samsung AI Center Moscow, is delivering an introductory speech at the opening, May 29, 2018.

As the leader of the Center, Professor Vetrov will combine scientific work and administrative activities: interacting with Samsung’s divisions and third-party institutions, organizing the Center’s overall work, managing work groups, as well as controlling and participating in scientific research. Professor Viktor Lempitsky of the Skolkovo Institute of Science Technology will also join the team as the leader of the research group.

“Samsung has always been the first to introduce new products and solutions that change the way people interact. Considering Russia as one of the world’s biggest hubs in the field of technical sciences, it is only natural that we chose the country as one of the sites for our new AI Center,” said Ultack Kim, President of Samsung Electronics Headquarters in CIS countries. “A team of the world’s best scientists and IT specialists at the AI Center will help Samsung bring its robotics and AI technologies to a whole new level.”

While there currently are several joint AI laboratories at Moscow State University, the Higher School of Economics and the PDMI RAS, the new Center will establish additional joint labs with Russia’s leading universities. In addition, Samsung will conduct projects with the local universities and different regions of Russia including Kazan, Samara, Rostov-on-Don, Tomsk, and Novosibirsk. Considerations regarding cooperation with Russian start-ups to solve practical problems are also under discussion. Moving forward, these can be developed into full-fledged services related to AI and machine learning, as well as promising developments in the field of applications and components for the company’s products.

“Samsung plans to introduce AI technologies to all of its connected devices and services by 2020. AI will enhance our customer value by offering information and services under any circumstances,” commented Jin Wook Lee, the Head of Samsung R&D Institute Russia, at the opening of the new Center. “This will be a huge step for the world of technology, and will help simplify the implementation of everyday tasks,” he added.

As the popularity of Internet of things (IoT) devices grows, the area of application of AI-based solutions is expanding rapidly. According to the forecast of Samsung experts, IoT devices with built-in AI will generate enormous amounts of data in the coming years. By processing this information, the devices will be able to provide maximum personalization and full compliance with the users’ needs.

“Currently, AI is one of the most promising branches of technology. The opening of the Samsung AI Center in Russia will allow us to contribute to the development of the industry and to apply the achievements of the Russian mathematical school, which has a high level of practical training of research specialists,” said Professor Vetrov.

Earlier in May, Samsung has opened two new AI Centers in Cambridge (UK) and Toronto (Canada). More information about Samsung AI Center in Russia and global AI Centers is available at Samsung Research website.

Samsung Electronics today launched Samsung Newsroom Russia, the new Russian-language news and information hub that will provide contents targeting local media and consumers. It is an official Samsung Russian-language information portal with a convenient search tool.

Samsung Newsroom Russia seeks to keep media and consumers up-to-date with the latest company news and cover other interesting topics including the company’s latest activities in the country, complemented by video and photo content as well.

The launching of Samsung Newsroom Russia marks Samsung’s eighth newsroom, adding to the Global, United States, Korea, Vietnam, Brazil, India and Germany editions. Samsung Electronics plans to continue rolling out additional local newsrooms this year to share its latest news with more regions in their own language.

Samsung Electronics has been operating in Russia for over 25 years. The company was honored to be named ‘favorite brand of Russians’ by Online Market Intelligence from 2011~2016. Additionally, Samsung actively participates in the social and cultural life of the country through its strong corporate social responsibility programs, providing support for education, sports and the arts.

Visit Samsung Newsroom Russia at news.samsung.com/ru/

Samsung Electronics has become the winner of “Innovations Time” awards held with the support of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation. The prize in the nomination “Technical innovation of the year. Environment and energy saving” has been given to Samsung washing machines featuring AddWash and Ecobubble technologies. The “Innovations Time” award celebrates the best innovative practices, aims to increase the interest towards science and encourages the mainstream use of advanced technologies. The award ceremony was held in Sochi on December 16, 2016.

The judging panel of the “Innovations time” award evaluated the nominated projects based on such criteria as their consistency, effectiveness and market relevance, as well as the scope and efficiency of innovative activities of the participating companies.

The Samsung washing machines with AddWash and EcoBubble technologies feature a range of resource-saving solutions, that have received a high evaluation from the judging panel. In particular, these machines are equipped with an extra door that allows to add any item or washing detergents right during the washing cycle, without opening the main door, which is not only convenient for the consumers, but also helps saving energy and water. Besides that, the Samsung washing machines are equipped with other environment-oriented technologies, such as the Digital Inverter Motor and Diamond honeycomb drum with rotation sensors, allowing to reduce the amount of waste. Furthermore, EcoBubble technology allows for significant saving of water and energy. At the water temperature of 15C it ensures the same quality of laundry as in usual washing machines at the temperature of 40C, which saves up to 70% of electricity consumed for heating water.

This technology has already received a number of international awards, including Green Apple Award, International Green Awards, House Beautiful Silver – Green Product of the Year, Quiet Mark and Waterwise Recommended Checkmark, as well as the Russian awards EraEco and ENES.

“Samsung Electronics has been actively investing in the development of resource-saving technologies. In each our product we strive to implement innovative features that make the use of Samsung appliances not only convenient and efficient, but virtually harmless for the environment”, said Dmitry Kartashev, Head of the HA Sales Department at Samsung Electronics CIS. “Increasing the energy efficiency of our product is strategically important for our company, and we are pleased that our efforts in this area have received recognition from the experts.”

With the new partnership, Samsung Pay is now available with seven major banks including Alfa Bank JSC, VTB 24 OJSC, MTS OJSC, Reiffeisen Bank JSC, Russian Standard Bank JSC and Yandex LLC.

To use Samsung Pay, customers simply need to open the Samsung Pay app and tap their compatible* Samsung device against the NFC or MST reader to make a payment.

Mr. Arkadiy Graf, Head of Samsung Mobile Russia, said, “Since September 28, Samsung Pay has provided our Russian users with a simple and secure payment method that can be used almost anywhere they can swipe or tap their payment cards. We’re delighted to announce the availability of Samsung Pay for Sberbank customers. With this partnership, Samsung Pay now covers 65 percent of all private bank accounts in Russia and 80 percent of the country’s urban population.”

Mr. Alexander Torbakhov, Deputy Chairman of the Sberbank Board, said: “Very soon credit cards will become a relic of the past. Smartphones and smart watches, that let users pay for purchases quickly and safely are to replace cards. Now Sberbank customers can use a convenient Samsung Pay service and make payments with a single touch of the smartphone, almost anywhere payment cards are accepted.”

More Than a Payment Service

A secure and easy-to-use mobile payment service, Samsung Pay can be used to make purchases almost anywhere that credit, debit and prepaid cards are accepted.

• SIMPLE: To make a payment on Samsung Pay, users can simply swipe up on their eligible Galaxy smartphone, scan their fingerprint and pay.
• SECURE: Samsung Pay uses three levels of security to enable secure payments – fingerprint authentication, tokenization and Samsung Knox, Samsung’s defense-grade mobile security platform.
• ALMOST ANYWHERE: Samsung Pay is compatible with the majority of existing and new terminals, allowing users to pay almost anywhere you can swipe or tap your card.

No fees are charged by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. from any Samsung Pay users, emitting banks, acquirer banks and trading companies.

* Compatible Samsung devices currently include the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, S6 edge+, Galaxy Note5, Galaxy A5 (2016) and A7 (2016). Samsung Pay availability with NFC payments will also be extended to additional devices including the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge.

Sberbank OJSC

Sberbank is the largest bank in Russia and one of the leading global financial institutions. Sberbank accounts for around one-third of Russian banking sector assets. Sberbank is a key creditor for the national economy and has the biggest share on the deposit market. The Central Bank of the Russian Federation is the founder and a principal shareholder of Sberbank OJSC. It owns 50% of its registered capital plus a voting share. The remaining 50% of the bank’s shares belong to Russian and global investors. Over 135 million people and 4 million companies in 20 countries are Sberbank clients. The bank has the largest network in Russia, consisting of around 17,000 offices and business units. The bank’s foreign network consists of subsidiary banks, branches and representative offices in the UK, USA, Central and Eastern Europe, India, China, Turkey and more.

Awards ceremony of Yasnaya Polyana Award founded by Leo Tolstoy Museum-Estate and Samsung Electronics took place today.

Vladimir Makanin became the winner in the “Modern Classics” category. He receives a 1 500 000 rubles reward for his book “Where the Sky meets hills”.

For the first time in the Award`s history the jury chose two winners in the “XXI century” category: Narine Abgaryan with a short novel “Three Apples Fell from the Sky” and Alexandr Grigorenko with a short novel “A blind man lost a fife”. The laureates shared a monetary award, each of them received 1 000 000 rubles.

The amount of the short list  award fund is 1 000 000 rubles. It will be evenly distributed for the finalists, who did not become winners in the “XXI century” category:

1. Aflatuni Sukhbat. Generation of maguses. – M.: Ripol Classic, 2015
2. Minaev Boris. Soft fabric. First title: Batiste. Second title: Cloth. – M.: Vremya, 2016
3. Eisner Vladimir. Pomegranate island. – SPb: “Napisano perom”, 2015
4. Yusefovich Leonid. Winter road. – M.: “Oktyabr” Journal, №4, 5, 6, 2015

Marina Nefyodova became the winner in the “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth” for a book “Forester and his nymph” and received a 500 000 rubles monetary award.

The finalists in the category shared 300 000 rubles:

1. Moskvina Marina, Govorova Yulia. You, above all, write about love. – M.: Gayatri, 2016.
2. Yakovleva Yulia. Raven`s children. – M.: Samokat, 2016

Orhan Pamuk and his book “A Strangeness in My Mind” became the winner in the “Foreign Literature” category which chooses most important foreign books of XXI century and their translations into Russian language. He received 1 000 000 rubles. The book`s translator, Appolinariya Avrutina, received a  200 000 rubles prize.

Translators, foreign literature publishers, journalists and literature critics are the experts in the “Foreign literature” category. They suggested foreign language books that they consider important while the members of the Award`s jury chose the winner. The long list in the “Foreign literature” category was announced in March, 2016. A short list is not selected in this category.

A special Samsung prize “Readers` Choice” was also presented. The winner of the prize – a trip for two to South Korea – is Narine Abgaryan, the author of “Three Apples Fell from the Sky” which was included in the short list of the “XXI century” category and obtained the largest number of votes in the open readers Internet voting on the LiveLib.ru recommendation service.

“Yasnaya Polyana literature award has indeed 14 years behind it. It has entire history behind it. Previous years` winners are admirable and I am not ashamed of any of them. However we have never had such a wide choice as this year in the award`s timeline. All the authors are worth becoming laureates, and the long list in the “Foreign Literature” category may be considered as a landmark and a guide to the world literature”, – said Vladimir Tolstoy, Chairman of the jury of the Yasnaya Polyana litreture award, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation on Cultural Matters.

“An award becomes genuinely popular not only because of estimations of the highly professional jury. I am really grateful to our partners – Samsung Electronics – for a special prize “Readers` Choice” that is being given for two years by now. This year the readers` opinion coincided with the jury`s one. LiveLib.ru users chose “Three Apples Fell from the Sky” – a novel by Narine Abgaryan”, – said Ekaterina Tolstaya, Director of the Leo Tolstoy  museum – estate Yasnaya Polyana

“There is such kind of books that make you forget that you are a member of the jury, forget about long lists and short lists, forget that it`s summer – forget everything. And than you just feel thankful to the author for leading you to a wonderful world”, – said Alexey Varlamov, a member of the jury of the Yasnaya Polyana litreture award, writer and researcher of the 20th-century literature.

“It`s been 14 years since Yasnaya Polyana award has been drawing attention to the works of talented promising authors and real contemporary classics. We are proud that by supporting it from year to year we contribute to the development of great literary traditions in the context of modern Russia. Besides we are happy to help readers discover new masterpieces which for sure will become a part of our country`s rich cultural legacy. I congratulate  winners and finalists of 2016 and wish them further creative success”, – commented Uitack Kim, President of Samsung Electronics CIS headquarters.

Yasnaya Polyana literature award was created by the Leo Tolstoy Museum-Estate and Samsung Electronics in 2003. Each year the Award is given to the authors whose works carry in themselves humanistic and moral ideals of Russian classics. The Award`s jury chooses best traditional form fiction books in the categories “Modern Classics”,  “XXI century” and “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth” as well as in the “Foreign Literature” and “Readers` Choice” categories introduced with support of Samsung in 2015. The total amount of the award fund is 7 000 000 rubles.

Today it is the largest annual literature award in Russia.

Central Russian State news agency TASS, Livelib.ru recommendation service – a platform for readers Internet voting, – and federal bookstores network Chitaj-gorod are the partners of Yasnaya Polyana award.

Detailed information is available on the award`s website www.yppremia.ru.

About the award:

Yasnaya Polyana literature award is the biggest annual literature award in Russia. It was created 14 years ago by the Leo Tolstoy Museum-Estate and Samsung Electronics. In the main category “XXI Century” Yasnaya Polyana award is given to the modern writers` works that carry in themselves ideals of humanity, mercy and ethics. Guzel Iakhina, Evgenii Vodolazkin, Elena Katishonok, Mikhail Tarkovskii, Liudmila Saraskina, Zakhar Prilepin, Aleksei Ivanov became its winners at different times.

The award is also given in two additory categories. The “Foreign Literature” category chooses most important foreign books and their translations into Russian language. The “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth” category awards books, important for the time of growing up. In 2015 the award was given in the special Samsung “Readers` Choice” category for the first time.

The total amount of the award fund has significantly increased in 2015 and is now 7 000 000 rubles. Here is how awards are allocated to the winners in the categories:

• Category “XXI Century” – 2 000 000 rubles
• Category “Modern Classics” – 1 500 000 rubles
• Category “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth” – 500 000 rubles
• Award fund for the short list finalists – 1 000 000 rubles
• Award fund for the “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth” category finalists – 300 000 rubles
• Award fund for category “Foreign Literature”: 1 000 000 rubles – a foreign writer winner, 200 000 rubles – the winner`s book translator into Russian language.

The jury of the award:

• Anninskii Lev Aleksandrovich, Soviet and Russian literary critic, writer, publicist, theorist of literature;
• Basinskiy Pavel Valerevich, Russian theorist of literature and literary critic;
• Varlamov Alexey Nikolaevich, writer and researcher of the 20th-century literature;
• Vodolazkin Evgenii Germanovich, writer, Doctor of Philology, Yasnaya Polyana literature award winner;
• Kurbatov Valentin Iakovlevich, writer, publicist, literary critic;
• Otroshenko Vladislav Olegovich, Russian writer and essayist, Yasnaya Polyana literature award winner;
• Tolstoy Vladimir Ilich, president of the jury, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation on Cultural Matters.

About Museum-Estate «Yasnaya Polyana»

The museum-estate “Yasnaya Polyana” is a unique memorial and nature reserve, the place where L.N. Tolsoty lived and worked.  “Yasnaya Polyana” – is a large cultural center, where International writers’ meetings, International translators’ seminars of L.N.Tolsotoy and other Russian writers, scientific/educational lectures in partnership with the “Prosfvetitel” award, International art festival “Geniuses’ garden”, literature and art exhibits take place.

Co-founders of the Yasnaya Polyana Award, the Leo Tolstoy Museum-Estate and Samsung Electronics have announced the short list for the “XXI Century” and the “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth” categories for 2016.

The Yasnaya Polyana book award was founded in 2003 by the Leo Tolstoy Museum-Estate and Samsung Electronics. Every year the award is given to writers, whose work carries in itself ideals of humanity, mercy and ethics. A panel of experts chooses the best traditional literary works in the “Modern Classics”, “XXI Century” and “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth” categories, as well as the “Foreign Literature” and “Readers` Choice” categories introduced in 2015 with support from Samsung. The cumulative prize fund is 7 million rubles.

In 2016 the short list in the “XXI Century” category consist of:

• Abgaryan Narine. Three Apples Fell from the Sky. – M.: AST, 2015
• Aflatuni Sukhbat. Generation of maguses. – M.: Ripol Classic, 2015
• Grigorenko Alexandr. A blind man lost a fife. – M.: “Oktyabr” Journal, №1, 2016
• Minaev Boris. Soft fabric. First title: Batiste. Second title: Cloth. – M.: Vremya, 2016
• Eisner Vladimir. Pomegranate island. – SPb: “Napisano perom”, 2015
• Yusefovich Leonid. Winter road. – M.: “Oktyabr” Journal, №4, 5, 6, 2015

In 2016 the short list in the “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth” category consist of:

• Moskvina Marina, Govorova Yulia. You, above all, write about love. – M.: Gayatri, 2016.
• Nefedova Marina. Forester and his nymph. – M.: Nikea, 2016
• Yakovleva Yulia. Raven`s children. – M.: Samokat, 2016

In June 2016 the long list for the award was announced, which consisted of 68 works: 42 books in the “XXI Century” category and 26 writings in the “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth” category. In total in 2016 there were 197 works nominated for the award: 69 books for children and teens and 128 books of contemporary authors, published both as books and in literature journals.

The list of the books included into the long list of the “Foreign Literature” category was announced in March 2016. The short list for this category is not formed; the name of the winner will be announced at the award ceremony in October.

Readers` voting on the recommendation service LiveLib.ru will start in the beginning of October. An author, scored most of the readers` votes, will receive a special prize from Samsung “Readers` Choice” and will have a trip to Soth Korea. The voting is held based on the short list in the category “XXI Century”.

“We have read and discussed a lot of great and surely worthful books, but not nearly all of them were included in the short list afterwards. That`s because our choice is driven not only by professional reasons but also by intuition. As our main goal is not just to mention talented writers but also to see the trends of Russian modern literature”, – said Vladimir Tolstoy, Chairman of the jury of Yasnaya Polyana book award, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation on Cultural Matters.

“With pleasure I take book of the authors – winners and finalists of Yasnaya Polyana literature award – as possible setting for interesting joint projects in the future. The jury is serious, the award has a great name and it is also really good that it is supported by Samsung”, – commented Art director of the Theatre of Nations Evgenii Mironov.

“Narine Abgaryan is a name well known to the readers. Remain true to what makes literature literature – sole and destiny – on one side in the new short novel she writes with unbelievable love and plasticity. The book “Three Apples Fell from the Sky” is about kindness, light and love. In her own way Abgaryan expressed physical, sun, soul and human light. Beautiful Russian language and belonging to Russian classical literature make this book very important”, – pointed out Alexei Varlamov, Yasnaya Polyana book award jury member, writer and researcher of the 20th-century literature.

“What is an amazing power of Leonid Yusefovich`s novels? They are written based on archive materials, but at the same time they are outstanding pieces of art. I have always been astonished by how it is possible: if you follow the document, you can`t really move anywhere. But it appears that there is a third way – deep, deep into a character and a hero. Yusefovich is a maestro мастер of precise and deep characters”, – said Eugene Vodolazkin, Yasnaya Polyana book award jury member, writer, Doctor of Philology.

“Among many important and in their ways unique projects that Samsung Electronics supports in Russia, Yasnaya Polyana book award is the key one for us. The values of the award – support and development of classic traditions in modern literature – are very important for us. We feel proud that we cooperate with Yasnaya Polyana for over 13 years and we are sure that we will continue doing it in the future”, – said Natalya Malyova, Head of Public Relations and Sponsorship Projects Department of the Samsung Electronics in CIS.

Writers, included in the short list (finalists), will share 1 000 000 rubles, the winner will receive 2 000 000 rubles. The winner in the “Modern Classics” category will be chosen by the jury, his award will be composed of 1 500 000 rubles. Money reward in the “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth” category is 500 000 rubles, the finalists of the category will share 300 000 rubles.
The winners will be awarded in the end of October in Moscow.

About the award:

Yasnaya Polyana book award is the biggest annual literature award in Russia. It was created 14 years ago by the Leo Tolstoy Museum-Estate and Samsung Electronics. In the main category “XXI Century” Yasnaya Polyana award is given to the modern writers` works that carry in themselves ideals of humanity, mercy and ethics. Guzel Iakhina, Evgenii Vodolazkin, Elena Katishonok, Mikhail Tarkovskii, Liudmila Saraskina, Zakhar Prilepin, Aleksei Ivanov became its winners at different times.

The award is also given in two additory categories. The “Foreign Literature” category chooses most important foreign books and their translations into Russian language. The “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth” category awards books, important for the time of growing up.

In 2015 the award was given in the special Samsung “Readers’ Choice” category for the first time

The total amount of the award fund is 7 000 000 rubles. Here is how awards are allocated to the winners in the categories:

• Category “XXI Century” – 2 000 000 rubles
• Category “Modern Classics” – 1 500 000 rubles
• Category “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth” – 500 000 rubles
• Award fund for the short list finalists – 1 000 000 rubles
• Award fund for the “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth” category finalists – 300 000 rubles
• Award fund for category “Foreign Literature”: 1 000 000 rubles – a foreign writer winner, 200 000 rubles – the winner`s book translator into Russian language.

The jury of the award

• Leo Anninskii, Soviet and Russian literary critic, writer, publicist, theorist of literature;
• Pavel Basinskiy, Russian theorist of literature and literary critic;
• Alexei Varlamov, writer and researcher of the 20th-century literature;
• Eugene Vodolazkin, writer, Doctor of Philology, Yasnaya Polyana literature award winner;
• Valentin Kurbatov, writer, publicist, literary critic;
• Vladislav Otroshenko, Russian writer and essayist, Yasnaya Polyana literature award winner;
• Vladimir Tolstoy, chairman of the jury, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation on Cultural Matters.

About Museum-Estate «Yasnaya Polyana»

The museum-estate “Yasnaya Polyana” is a unique memorial and nature reserve, the place where L.N. Tolsoty lived and worked.  “Yasnaya Polyana” – is a large cultural center, where International writers’ meetings, International translators’ seminars of L.N.Tolsotoy and other Russian writers, scientific/educational lectures in partnership with the “Prosfvetitel” award, International art festival “Geniuses’ garden”, literature and art exhibits take place.

The multimedia project “The Path to Abstraction” displayed on a Samsung Curved UHD TV

The exhibition features “Composition VI” and “Composition VII”—two of Kandinsky’s most well-known masterpieces—and was coordinated by the State Tretyakov Gallery and the State Hermitage with support from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. The show will run through June 13, 2016 at the Tretyakov Gallery on Krymsky Val in Moscow.

Also highlighted in the exhibition is “The Path to Abstraction,” a multimedia project that illustrates the process of formation of non-figurative painting on digital recreations of Kandinsky’s works. Using the artist’s commentary on his work process, the video sequences will help viewers to learn about and immerse themselves in the process of “cosmic performance” birth on canvas.

The video installation, which greets visitors in the entrance hall of the exhibition, is displayed on two 65-inch Samsung Curved UHD TVs.

“‘The Path to Abstraction’ demonstrates the process of the creation of art, along with a unique look at Wassily Kandinsky’s creative process and the formation principles he used in a rare virtual format,” said Irina Shumanova, curator of “Counterpoint: Composition VI – Composition VII.”

“For over 20 years, Samsung Electronics has worked closely with leading Russian cultural centers. We are happy to support the exhibition dedicated to the 150^th anniversary of abstraction pioneer Wassily Kandinsky, which was organized by the Tretyakov Gallery and our long-time partner the State Hermitage,” noted Natalya Malyova, the Head of Public Relations and Sponsorship Department of Samsung Electronics CIS. “Samsung’s advanced ideas and innovative technologies make it possible to illustrate the artist’s work in detail, immersing the audience in the creation of his masterpieces.”

Kandinsky’s works “Composition VI” and “Composition VII,” housed in the collections of the State Hermitage and the Tretyakov Gallery, were last exhibited together in 1989 in Russia. The use of modern technology allows the public to take a fundamentally new look at the creation and presentation of art.

About “Counterpoint: Composition VI – Composition VII”

“Counterpoint: Composition VI – Composition VII” is an exhibition based on the works of Wassily Kandinsky and organized by the Tretyakov Gallery and the State Hermitage. The last time these works were shown together was in 1989 in Russia. The dialogue of the two most famous 1913 works by Kandinsky will kindle an interest in the artist’s work in the new generation of art lovers. The communication with Kandinsky’s masterpieces will enable viewers to perceive the emotional and sensual world of his works and enjoy the “effect of presence” to the utmost. As an important addition, the exhibition will feature a multimedia project, “The Path to Abstraction,” which will show the process of the formation of non-figurative painting.

Samsung Electronics, global leader in consumer electronics and advanced information technologies, reports that its supplementary education project SAMSUNG IT SCHOOL – a basic IT and programming course for high school students – became an award winner of the “Best social projects of Russia” annual competition in the “Support of gifted children and youth” category. The competition was created within the framework of the Russian government’s focus on the consolidation of welfare based on partnership between state, society and the private sector, and is held with the support of the government in Moscow. Last year, Samsung was honored with the “Best social projects of Russia” prize in the “Education and science” category and also received the prize for realization of the social program “Education for EVERYONE” in the “Support of indefensible population groups” category.

A year-long SAMSUNG IT SCHOOL course was developed by the Samsung R&D Center in cooperation with the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, one of the top technical universities in Russia. For young people with an IT background, the course provides a focus on Java language and mobile apps development on the Android platform. Its main goal is to help with the training of future skilled IT and engineering professionals, beginning in high school. The project is aimed at increasing Russian youth`s interest in IT. It is being implemented in more than 20 of the biggest cities in Russia with the support of regional authorities and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, and is designed as a five year program for more than 5000 school students.

“We appreciate that the expert council of the program highly esteemed our educational project,” said Sergey Pevnev, Director of Corporate Citizenship and Public Affairs Department at Samsung Electronics CIS HQ. “As the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, Samsung contributes to the education of future IT-professionals. In this regard, SAMSUNG IT SCHOOL is one of our strategic projects.”

In 2016, around 130 programs were included in the “best social projects of Russia” program. More than 70 of them took prizes of the leading Russian and international companies that lay emphasis on corporate social responsibility as an essential part of their missions. The best 17 projects, including Samsung, were selected to be presented at the awards conference as examples of best practices. Projects submitted for the competition were evaluated in the following categories: “Culture, art and religion,” “Ecological projects and initiatives,” “Support of sport and healthy lifestyle,” “Education and science,” “Support of gifted children and youth,” “Support of indefensible population groups,” “Social marketing,” “Social projects focused on Russian Federation population`s financial literacy in the area of insurance,” “Corporate projects,” “Projects for improvement of housing and utility conditions,” “Development of international collaboration,” “Socially responsible media,” “Charity,” “Medical-social projects,” and “Sponsorship of social projects.”

The program is aimed at collecting and systematizing the best practices and realization of social projects in Russia, reviewing social marketing projects and the popularization of best social projects. The finalists and winners were defined by the expert council, made up of 13 specialists from public, state and educational institutions.

Co-founders of the Yasnaya Polyana Award, Samsung Electronics and the Leo Tolstoy Museum-Estate have announced the long list for the “Foreign Literature” nomination.

The Foreign Literature nomination was introduced in 2015 and highlights the most significant 21st century foreign fiction books, as well as their translations into Russian. A panel of experts includes translators, foreign publishers and literary critics and journalists. The prize fund for the Foreign Literature category is divided into two parts: the winner (a foreign writer) will receive 1 million rubles while the translator will receive 200,000 rubles.

In 2016 the long list for the Foreign Literature category includes 31 works by authors from Austria, the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, India, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Serbia, Turkey, Sweden, France and RSA (see Appendix, p.3). The short list in this category is not formed; the jury will directly choose the winner. In 2015, the first laureates in this category were Ruth Ozeki, for her novel titled “A Tale for the Time Being,” and Yekaterina Ilyina, the novel’s Russian translator. The 2016 winner will be announced in October 2016. Books included in this category long list became an invaluable gateway to contemporary foreign literature.

“As the president of the jury, I am pleased that we have had the Foreign Literature Nomination since the last year. We are proud of the lists that we presented last year as well as this year. Tastes differ, but these books can be recommended for reading without any hesitation, because they are really brilliant pieces of literature. I would like to thank Samsung, the co-founder of the award, for the support and cooperation”, – said Vladimir Tolstoy, the Сhairman of the Yasnaya Polyana prize committee and Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation on Cultural Matters.

“The new category for the Foreign Literature propelled the Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award to the international stage. As a global corporation and co-founders of the Award, we are delighted to contribute to promoting classical literary traditions in Russia and abroad,” – said Natalya Malyova, the Head of Public Relations and Sponsorship Department of the Samsung Electronics CIS.

“The Foreign Literature category long list is not just a list of books for reading, but also a reflection of contemporary world literature trends. The introduction of international nomination enables us to incorporate our literature into the global context, and the world literature in Russian context,”– said Vladislav Otroshenko, a member of the Yasnaya Polyana Award jury, writer and essayist.

“The list is interesting because it presents not only the well-known authors, but also those about whom we have known almost nothing before. Thanks to Yasnaya Polyana Award and Samsung we were able to discover new names and present them to Russian readers,” – said Alexey Varlamov, a member of the Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award jury, writer and researcher of the 20th-century literature.

“There’s nothing more scary than the ‘what to read?’ question for a literary critic. As critics, we may say much on a specific author or a novel. But when it comes to giving advice, this is what is called a deadlock. And this list of 31 books is the most distinct and could be recommended for everyone,” – said  Natalia Kochetkova, Foreign Literature Category expert.

The annual Yasnaya Polyana literature competition recognizes works that preserve the traditions of classic literature and also represent relevant trends in modern Russian writing. Prizes are awarded for the best traditional literary work in the following categories: Modern Classics, XXI Century, Childhood, Adolescence, Youth. With Samsung’s support, two new categories were added in 2015. These include Foreign Literature and the Samsung Readers’ Choice special prize.

Distribution of the prize fund

• XXI century – 2 000 000 rubles,
• Modern Classics – 1 500 000 rubles,
• Childhood, Adolescence, Youth – 500 000 rubles.

The short listed authors receive the sum of 1 000 000 rubles, which will be divided amongst the winners in the XXI century category. Finalists in the Childhood, Adolescence, Youth category receive 300 000 rubles.

The prize fund of the Foreign Literature category is divided into two parts: the foreign author receives 1 000 000 rubles, and the translator of the winning book receives 200 000 rubles.

* In order to view the Appendix, please refer to the PDF below.

The program is a significant part of the museum’s and the company’s collaborative efforts, and entails Samsung investing in the restoration of technological masterpieces of the past. Collaborative plans to update equipment and video content about the Hermitage’s collection in 2016 were also announced. In May 2016 ultra-high definition (4K) videos allowing visitors to study the museum’s treasures and interiors in minute detail will be available in the exhibition halls. The videos will be shown on Samsung UHD Curved TVs, which will be installed on the premises.

The State Hermitage Museum’s Restorer demonstrating the work of “The Apollo Bureau” first time after its restoration by Samsung and Hermitage in frames of “Connected times – connected technology” program

A large mechanical cabinet from Catherine II’s collection, known as “The Apollo Bureau”, a masterpiece of applied arts, was presented at the event for the first time since its restoration. Created by famous German cabinetmaker David Roentgen and brought to St. Petersburg on 1 March 1784, the cabinet could be used for writing and was equipped with numerous mechanisms which opened the book-rest, shutters and drawers, and played music recorded on cylinders. The unique mechanism was a true technological breakthrough of its time, with contemporary eyewitness accounts expressing wonder at the mechanical marvel.

“We collaborate in two areas. One is that Samsung helps us use the miracles of technology to showcase the museum’s collections. For example, Samsung televisions are used to show exhibit details that aren’t visible to the naked eye. The other is the restoration of technological miracles of past centuries from the Hermitage collections. The “Apollo Bureau”, recently restored together with Samsung, is one of the Hermitage’s most treasured masterpieces. It’s an iconic exhibit created by a great craftsman,” says Mikhail Piotrovsky, State Hermitage Museum General Director.

“We greatly value our collaboration with the State Hermitage Museum. Samsung and the Hermitage have been working together for almost 20 years to implement innovative technological solutions in the museum for research purposes, exhibitions and lectures. The “Connected times – connected technology” program is at the core of our long-term partnership. Being the hi-tech leader of our time, Samsung invests in the restoration of the Hermitage collection’s unique mechanisms which are prime examples of pioneering technologies of their times,” said Seungsik Choi, Vice President of Samsung Electronics CIS HQ.

Samsung Electronics has been the State Hermitage Museum’s technical partner since 1997. During this time, the company has been the technical supporter for what is the world’s largest museum, providing equipment for the Winter Palace’s museum halls, General Staff Building, School Centre, Student Club and Lecture Hall. A technical support program for the museum’s educational, research and tour guiding activities with regularly updated hardware and content was developed during the period of collaborative work aimed at implementing innovative technology at the museum.

The State Hermitage Museum and Samsung Electronics have been actively developing the collaborative “Connected times – connected technology” program aimed at the restoration of unique mechanisms of the past since 2007. Among the unique mechanisms restored with Samsung Electronics’ support are: Catherine II’s large table clock with an in-built organ made by English master clockmaker Eardley Norton in 1792; a table clock with a musical mechanism made by James Cox in 1760; a musical floor clock made at the Roentgen and Kinzing workshop in Germany in the 1780’s; and a music box with a clock “bird in a cage” by Swiss clockwork maker Pierre Jaquet-Droz from the 1790’s.

The State Hermitage Museum
The Hermitage is one of the world’s largest art museums, with over 350 exhibition halls. Funds, exhibitions, museum departments and services are situated in 10 buildings, seven of which are architectural monuments from the 18th and 19th Centuries. The State Hermitage Museum’s collection contains over 3 million works of art and cultural artefacts, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, applied arts, archeological finds and coins. The core ensemble of the Hermitage, located in the center of St. Petersburg, consists of the Winter Palace (the former grand residence of the Russian emperors) and the Small, Old and New Hermitages, the Hermitage Theatre and the Reserve. The museum complex also includes the Menshikov Palace, the eastern wing of the General Staff Building, the “Staraya Derevnya” (“Old Village”) Restoration and Storage Centre and the Imperial Porcelain Factory Museum.

The Roentgen mechanical Bureau (“The Apollo bureau) (2^nd half of the 18th Century)
The large mechanical bureau was manufactured in the workshop of famous German furniture maker David Roentgen in Neuwied on the Rhine and brought to St. Petersburg with the first shipment of Roentgen-made furniture before 1 March 1784. It was specially made to illustrate its makers’ fine craftsmanship. This masterpiece of furniture art seemed more like a toy than a writing desk with its multitude of mechanisms which opened the book-rest, switched the compartments, opened the shutters and drawers and started playing music recorded on cylinders as if by magic. Roentgen created the mechanisms in collaboration with mechanic Peter Kinzing and composer Johann Well.  The bureau truly amazed Russian spectators, who had never before seen anything like it. Eyewitness accounts from contemporaries illustrate how impressed they were by the curious contraption. Everything went just as Roentgen planned: the Russian audience loved his art. That triumph made him Catherine II’s and the Russian court’s main furniture supplier for the next decade.

Samsung Electronics won two “Corporate Charity Leaders” awards, the eighth annual charity programs competition, for the company’s social and educational activities. The Awarding Ceremony took place at Helikon Opera, Moscow, on November 25th, 2015.

Two of the company’s projects were awarded. The Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award, co-founded by Samsung Electronics and the Leo Tolstoy Memorial Estate, won in the nomination “The Best Program Aimed at Supporting Modern Art and Culture”. A diploma for the second place in the nomination “The Best Program Contributing to the Development of Education in the Russian Federation” was given to the additional education project on IT and programming basics “SAMSUNG SMART SCHOOL.”

The annual All-Russia Corporate Charity Leaders research is a joint project of the Donors Forum, the PwC international audit and consulting firm network and the Vedomosti newspaper, which aim to support, develop and promote corporate charity ideas. The project goal is to identify the best examples of corporate charity programs and to spread the information about corporate charity in the business environment and society in general. The project consists of two parts: the corporate charity study, according to the results of which the ranking is performed, and the charity programs competition. The competition awards are given in six nominations; in total, 65 companies have participated in the competition in 2015.

“We are very happy to be highly assessed by the judges of the contest – this once again confirms that our projects have made a noticeable contribution to the development of culture and education in Russia by supporting literary talents and helping gifted students to discover their knack for technology. Samsung is a socially responsible company, and we are happy to develop our projects that benefit people. This year, we have already accepted new participants in the “SAMSUNG SMART SCHOOL” program, increased the Yasnaya Polyana award prize fund and introduced new nominations awarding the best work of a foreign author and the book chosen by the readers,” said Sergey Pevnev, Corporate Relations Department Director at Samsung Electronics CIS HQ.

The annual All-Russia Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award, founded in 2003 by the Leo Tolstoy Memorial Estate and Samsung Electronics, is one of the most prestigious and well-known literary awards in Russia. The award supports the classic Russian literature traditions. The award jury, headed by Vladimir Tolstoy (the writer’s great-great-grandson), includes well-known Russian writers, literary critics and public characters. The award is given for the best traditional form fiction work in the following nominations: “Modern Classics,” “21st Century,” “Childhood, Boyhood and Youth.” In 2015, the award was given for the first time in the “Foreign Literature” nomination, as well as in Samsung’s special nomination “Readers’ Choice.” In 2015, the total prize fund has grown substantially and is now seven million rubles.

The “SAMSUNG SMART SCHOOL” additional education program aims at helping to educate future engineering and technical personnel, assisting in occupational guidance for high school students and increasing their interest in IT innovations, which is consistent with the relevant task to develop Russian education. The program is implemented with the help of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science and regional education management units since 2014. It is designed for five years and training of over 5,000 students in more than 20 Russian regions. Within the academic year 2014 / 2015, over 1,000 high school students were educated according to the program and received advanced knowledge of IT basics as well as independent mobile app development skills on the Android platform.

Samsung Electronics announced that Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge received eco-friendly certificates from four major markets, the US, the UK, Russia and Brazil, respectively. Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge have been recognized not just for the performance based on the state-of-the-art technology, but also for the aspects that care environment.

The two flagship smartphones received Sustainability Product Certification (SPC) from the US-based safety testing and certification organization, UL (Underwriters Laboratories). In the UK, world-renowned Carbon Trust honored the two smartphones with CO2 Measured Label.

In particular, Samsung gained Platinum certification, the highest grade, from UL by meeting a series of rigorous criteria -on toxic material, energy efficiency, recyclability of product and packaging, as well as the manufacturer’s social responsibility practices.

Galaxy S6 and S6 edge have also been awarded Vitality Leaf certification from the Ecological Union, Russia’s leading environmental certification organization, and COLIBRI, a Brazilian environmental quality label, from Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas (ABNT).

Packages of the two smartphones are made with 100 percent recycled paper as well as they satisfy criteria on toxic material. In addition, at the very early stage of the product development, Samsung considered environmental impacts. For example, 20 percent of the plastic in battery charger is made from recycled plastic, and soy ink is used to print the letters on the packages and manuals, instead of using petroleum solvents.

Samsung also continuously strives to create an eco-friendly system by applying advanced technology for energy efficiency, including fast charging and Ultra Power Saving mode.

Samsung has set up “Eco-Design process” since 2004 and requires environmental validation at the product development stage. Every product developed in Samsung has to be validated and named eco-grade.

As a result, as of March this year, 3,131 of Samsung products obtained environmental labels from environmental organizations in 14 countries, being recognized as a world’s leading eco-friendly manufacturer.

“Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge show excellent performance and fabulous design, as well as Samsung’s commitment for the environment” said Samsung official, and “Samsung will continue its efforts for developing environmentally friendly products, and also plan to expand the share of the recognized eco-products.”