For the past five years, the RA Ministry of Diaspora, the World Armenian Congress and the Union of Armenians of Russia have been holding the annual Pan-Armenian Awards “For Notable Contribution to the Preservation of the Armenian Identity. This year, the deadline for submitting applications is December 15.

“Due to the rather large number of Diaspora Armenians wishing to participate in the programs of the RA Ministry of Diaspora this year, we had to extend the initial deadline for submission of applications for the Pan-Armenian Awards “For Notable Contribution to the Preservation of the Armenian Identity” for another two months,” Head of the Division for Scientific and Educational Programs of the Department of All-Armenian Programs at the RA Ministry of Diaspora Sirvard Hambaryan said in an interview with “Hayern Aysor”.

The categories for this year’s awards are “Defender of the Mother Language”, Best Daily Armenian School and Best Armenian Media. There will also be an essay contest with the title “We Have Existed, We Exist and We Will Exist” and with the topic “Remembering the Past to Build the Future” (dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide), as well as a contest for children’s creations.

The deadline for the latter has been extended even further. As Mrs. Hambaryan mentioned, the applications will be summed up in March 2015, and the results will be announced prior to April 24^th. There are prizes set for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd places, as well as encouraging prizes.

The goal of the Pan-Armenian Awards “For Notable Contribution to the Preservation of the Armenian Identity” is to properly appreciate the contributions that organizations and individuals make and the activities that Armenian communities carry out to preserve and develop the Armenian national identity in the Armenian Diaspora.

“As a rule, the Pan-Armenian Awards become quite interesting year after year. We encourage all the Diaspora Armenian organizations, cultural and educational institutions, teachers, educators, school principals, national, religious and non-governmental organizations, businesspeople and all those who don’t spare any efforts to organize Armenian education and upbringing in the Armenian Diaspora, in different linguistic and cultural environments and in the field of legislation. After all, not all countries generously agree to have foreign schools. The Pan-Armenian Awards serves as one of the major ways for the Ministry of Diaspora to encourage them and serves as a unique impetus to encourage people who are devoted to preservation of the Armenian identity, who provide generations of Diaspora Armenians with an Armenian education in environments where Armenians are losing their national identity and where they mainly communicate in the foreign language,” Sirvard Hambaryan mentioned.

Currently, there are nearly 50 applications from 7-8 families. According to Mrs. Hambaryan, the Ministry of Diaspora is expecting more applications. The Armenians in different regions have started making serious efforts and have sent packages to schools and organizations, calling on them to participate in the Pan-Armenian Awards.

“Recently, the Ministry of Diaspora received an application from Krasnodar. We felt good when we found out how the male teacher works at the local Armenian school. As you become familiar with his working style and lesson plans, you understand the work that he has done, his creativity, his feeling of patriotism and devotion to the nation and his great potential to preserve the Armenian identity abroad,” Sirvard Hambaryan said in closing.