At a time when words have become a weapon and language a shield, initiatives that support and strengthen Ukrainian identity are of particular importance. This was the case with the creative initiative - an online photo and video contest "The World in Ukrainian" dedicated to the Day of Ukrainian Language and Writing, organized by the Donetsk Youth Palace "Yunist".
The contest brought together children and young people for whom the Ukrainian language is not just a means of communication, but a part of their world. The participants presented their works in four nominations: "Language in the Frame" - photo moments that convey the power and beauty of the Ukrainian word; "Language Treasures" - videos in which the language sounds lively, sincere, and inspired; "Ukrainian Language Around Us" - shots that prove that the Ukrainian word is everywhere - on the streets, in hearts, in the air; "Best Meme about the Ukrainian Language" - humor that works for the love of the native word.
Students from 77 general secondary, extracurricular, vocational, professional, pre-university and higher education institutions from all over Donetsk Oblast took part in the competition. In total, more than 500 works were submitted.
The contest was especially charming because of the authors' poems - sincere, sensual, sometimes naive, but real to the point of tears. They contain love for the language, faith in our country and our Victory.
Online voting determined the best works. More than 5000 people took part in it - a real celebration of the Ukrainian word in the virtual space!
According to the results of the online voting, the highest audience support was given to:
- in the nomination "Language in the Frame" - Karina Malook (Konstantinovsky Medical Vocational College);
- in the nomination "Language Treasures" - students and teachers of the Slavic Special School No. 23 of the Donetsk Regional Council, Kateryna Krupko (Lyman Vocational School), Kamila Vasylenko (Serhiyivka Secondary School of Andriivka Village Council), Oleksandr Romenskyi (Donetsk Regional Ecological and Naturalistic Center) - all of them received the same number of votes;
- in the nomination "Ukrainian Language Around Us" - Bohdan Yaremchuk (Slavic Multidisciplinary Regional Center for Vocational Education named after P.F. Kryvonos); in the nomination "Best Meme about the Ukrainian Language" - Kateryna Mykhailova (Donetsk Agricultural College of Volodymyr Dahl National University).
Today, when the language has become a marker of our freedom, such contests prove that the Ukrainian word is both a means of communication and a space of strength, humor, creativity and unity. The world in Ukrainian is a world where everyone can be themselves.
And that is why it is so alive.