The results of the competition “The Best Archivist of Belarus 2020” have been announced

On October 22, 2020, on the basis of the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus (NARB), an award ceremony was held for the winner and prize-winners of the professional competition “The Best Archivist of Belarus”.

This competition is held every two years with the purpose of summarizing and disseminating best practices in the field of archive business, improving the professionalism of archivists and stimulating their professional development. The organizers of the competition are the Department for Archives and Records Management of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus (the Department) and the public association “Belarusian Society of Archivists”.

The competition was held in two stages. As part of the first stage (in absentia), participants submitted specially prepared written works, dedicated this year to the 75th anniversary of the Great Victory and united under a common theme-motto “Belarus remembers”.

15 employees of state archival institutions in Belarus, representatives of all regions of our republic, sent their projects to the competition. In their written works they examined various aspects related to the preservation, study and popularization of the documentary heritage of the period of the Great Patriotic War.

The second stage of the competition was held in full-time format at the NARB on October 21, 2020 and included 2 parts: practical and creative. Within the framework of the practical part, the contestants had to complete the tasks in writing and give answers to questions related to the theory and practice of archival affairs. A new element in the traditional structure of the competition was a creative self-presentation of the participants and the presentation of their written competitive works. This innovation not only allowed the authors to highlight certain aspects of their written works (with visual illustrations, schemes and diagrams, etc.), but also provided the contestants with additional opportunities to reveal their professional and personal potential, to tell about practical activities of archival institutions and their own daily work and achievements.

After summing up the results, the competition commission announced Vladimir Yu. Monzul (NARB) as the winner of the 2020 Best Archivist of Belarus competition. The second place was taken by Arseniy V. Targonsky (NARB), the third – by Maxim R. Myasnikov (Belarusian State Archives of Films, Photographs and Sound Recordings).

As part of the official award ceremony, Director of the Department V.I. Kourash and Chairman of the Board of the Belarusian Society of Archivists M.N. Skomoroshchenko awarded the winner and prize-winners of the competition with special diplomas and gift sets. All other contestants were awarded with certificates and memorable gifts.

V.I. Kourash, in his welcoming speech, emphasized the value of the written works submitted for this year’s competition in the context of nation-wide and industry-wide activities to protect the objective memory of the events of the Great Patriotic War and to counteract attempts to falsify it. The Director of the Department also noted that the next competition scheduled for 2022 would become one of the anniversary events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the archival service of the Republic of Belarus.

The solemn event was also attended by Deputy Chairman of the Republican Committee of the Trade Union of Workers of State and Other Institutions E.I. Shust, who noted the important place the archives occupy in the life of the Belarusian society and in the state system of the country, thanked the archivists for their extremely necessary work and presented diplomas for active participation in the trade union life of archival institutions and high results in the competition “The Best Archivist of Belarus”.

The winners in special nominations were awarded with diplomas of the Minsk City Committee of the Trade Union of Workers of State and Other Institutions: A.I. Gerbeleva (State Archives of Mogilev Region, “For the best presentation”), T.V. Ivanova (Belarusian State Archives-Museum of Literature and Art) and A.V. Targonsky (National Archives of the Republic of Belarus, “For excellent knowledge of the theory and practice of archival affairs”), V.I. Nastusevich (State Archives of Minsk Region, “For the best competitive work”).

We congratulate the winner and awardees of the competition and wish all the participants further professional success and achievements!