Minsk, 22 December. II National competition “Discovering Belarus” is now over. The competition is held on initiative of the National council on historical policy under the aegis of the President’s administration. This year’s competition was dedicated to the 80^th anniversary of Soviets victory in the Great Patriotic War.

The organizers were the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus, the Academy of Education, the Republican Center for Ecology and Local History, the Republican Youth Center, the National Center for Children and Youth Artistic Creativity, as well as departments of the regional and Minsk City Executive Committees responsible for public administration in the field of education.

The goal of the competition is to foster in young people respect for the historical heritage of Belarus, civic responsibility, patriotism, the historical memory of the Great Patriotic War, and the ability to resist attempts to falsify history. The main idea: "I discovered... and I want to tell others about it."

Participants submitted videos dedicated to significant facts, personalities, or events from the history of Belarus during the Great Patriotic War. Students in grades 5-11 of general secondary education institutions, as well as history teachers under 31, participated in the competition. Works were judged in three categories:

- Students in grades 5-7,

- Students in grades 8-11,

- History teachers.

The competition consisted of four stages: school, district (city), regional (Minsk City), and national. Approximately 3,000 students submitted their works during the school stage. Fifty-nine works were submitted for the national stage with 42 from students and 17 from teachers.

The awards ceremony for the winners took place at the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War.

All participants in the national stage were awarded laureate diplomas and commemorative prizes. Following the ceremony, participants laid flowers at the "Minsk – Hero City" stele and toured the museum's exhibits.