The best young reciters from across Belarus were named at the final of the national creative competition Living Classics 2026 in Minsk, BelTA learned from the National Center for Artistic Creativity of Children and Youth.
Seventeen students from general secondary and supplementary education institutions across the country presented their performances. Participants in four age categories, ranging from first- to tenth-graders, had made their way through challenging district and regional selection rounds, which involved nearly 28,000 talented young people.
The finalists performed works by A. Kuleshov, B. Sachenko, K. Krapiva, P. Brovka, Y. Bryl, K. Chorny and many other Belarusian classics. Young fans of poetry and prose impressed the jury with their sincerity, emotion and profound understanding of their native language. The jury faced a difficult task, as experts noted that every performance was vivid, professional and emotionally engaging.
The competition was held under the motto The Creative Power of the Belarusian Word: From a Mother’s Hands to the Heart of the Motherland. The theme brought together works dedicated to the native land, the exploits of the defenders of the common homeland, peace and spiritual heritage, as well as the Year of the Belarusian Woman.
In the Grades 1-4 category, the winners were Damir Annamuradov from Klichev and Melissa Gusarevich from Minsk. The top prizes among Grades 5-6 went to Yevgeny Rafalovich from Luninets and Timofei Kozlovsky from Volkovysk. Rodion Demenchuk from Brest took first place in the Grades 7-8 category. In the oldest Grades 9-10 category, the top prize was shared by Stanislav Martysiuk from Brest and Viktor Rodin from Vitebsk.
Teachers from the center noted that the atmosphere at the venue was filled with a special sense of excitement and anticipation. The young participants did not simply recite the texts – they lived through every word, filling the classic works with their own understanding and emotions. Genuine acting skills, excellent voice control, precise intonation and gestures enabled the young performers to create memorable stage characters.
The selected music, video sequences and lighting effects helped convey the mood of the works and enhanced their emotional impact on the audience. The performers’ costumes also attracted particular attention. Carefully matched to the style of the respective historical periods, they complemented the characters and turned each performance into a small theatrical production.
The competition was organized by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Information, Union of Writers of Belarus, National Center for Artistic Creativity of Children and Youth, and STV TV channel.
