“Today, the competition is an investment in our resilience. As long as we remember the Heroes and uphold the values of the Maidan, we are building our state ourselves and shaping its future. I am confident that young people today are the driving force of change, so let these changes begin with knowledge of history, with the memory of all those who gave their lives for Ukraine’s independence”, — emphasized Olha Salo, Head of Cultural Initiatives at the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation, former Deputy Director of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, and initiator of the competition of student research papers for the Serhii Kemskyi Award.
The aim of the competition is not only to research this period of history, but also to remember the Heroes who fought for our freedom.
First place went to Anastasiia Kryvenko, a student at Zaporizhzhia State Medical and Pharmaceutical University. She studied the role of social media in supplying medical volunteer units with resources during the Revolution of Dignity. She noted that this work became a kind of challenge.
“The topic interested me because of the scope of the material and the need for analytical thinking, but most of all because behind all of this were human lives that had to be saved no matter what, — said Anastasiia.
Second place went to Ruslana Kistechok, a student at Lviv Polytechnic National University, who researched the figure of Andrii Parubii during the Revolution of Dignity. Earlier, she took third place in the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation’s All-Ukrainian Competition of Student Research Papers “Is It Possible to Expel russia from the UN?”.
Third place went to Antonina Zaika, a student at Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding (Mykolaiv), for her research on the linguistic portrait of the Revolution of Dignity.
The winners joined the ceremony online and presented their papers to the guests and members of the jury.
Announcing the winner who researched the figure of Andrii Parubii, Nataliia Dyhdalovych, Head of the NGO “Family of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred” and wife of Hero of the Heavenly Hundred Andrii Dyhdalovych, emphasized the importance of studying history for the young generation.
“I hope that in the future schoolchildren will learn who the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred were, what kind of politician Andrii Parubii was, and how they influenced Ukraine’s struggle for its independence”, — said Nataliia Dyhdalovych.
The competition jury included:
- Ihor Poshyvailo — Acting Director General of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, PhD in History;
- Oleh Zaiarnyi — Academic Advisor to the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation, Doctor of Law, Professor at the Department of Intellectual Property and Information Law of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv;
- Olena Okhrimchuk — Head of the Department for Ensuring the Implementation of National Memory Policy in the Regions and Subordinate Institutions of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory;
- Denys Yashnyi — PhD in History, Research Fellow at the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity;
- Pavlo Romaniuk — Associate Professor at the Department of Constitutional Law of Ukraine of Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, Coordinator of the Electoral Law Center, Legal Advisor to the Civil Network OPORA;
- Iryna Kovalenko — Research Fellow at the European University Viadrina (Frankfurt (Oder), Germany);
- Anastasiia Horkova — PhD in Museum Studies and Monument Studies, Deputy Director General of the Kyiv Scientific and Methodological Center for the Protection, Restoration and Use of Monuments;
- Mariia Tsypiashchuk — human rights defender, lecturer, trainer on human rights and electoral rights;
- Oksana Uzlova — literary scholar, translator, manager of the charitable organization “Ukrainian Fulbright Circle”.
Evaluating the papers, Oleh Zaiarnyi, Academic Advisor to the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation and member of the jury, noted their research depth and practical value.
“This year, the participants of the competition demonstrated in-depth and comprehensive research into various aspects of the impact of the Revolution of Dignity on the development of civil society in Ukraine and on the directions of post-war recovery. Evaluating the papers, I can state that most of them are characterized not only by the authors’ own perspective on the consequences of the Revolution of Dignity for modern Ukraine, but also by valuable recommendations for improving various areas of state activity, as well as socio-economic and legal processes developing in Ukraine”, — said Oleh Zaiarnyi.
The Serhii Kemskyi Award is implemented with the financial support of the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation.
“Today it is especially important to speak about memorialization as a living action – when memory is not limited to words but becomes our deed. The Serhii Kemskyi Award gives young people the opportunity to research, reflect on and pass on knowledge about our history. The Pylyp Orlyk Foundation is proud to be part of this process and thanks its partners for their cooperation, and the participants – for their curiosity, perseverance and meaningful papers”, — noted Svitlana Kvitnytska, Member of the Board of the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation.
Ihor Poshyvailo, Acting Director General of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, emphasized the importance of researching and preserving memory.
“Our identity is defined by our memory. That is why it is important to research, preserve, document and popularize memory. As long as we know and remember, we ourselves determine our future. I am grateful to the participants and organizers, and to the members of the jury for their attention to the topics of traumatic history”, — concluded Ihor Poshyvailo.
Nataliia Darahan, Coordinator of the competition for the Serhii Kemskyi Award and Head of the Educational Work Sector of the Memorial and Educational Department of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, spoke about the results of the competition over its entire history.
“Today, the competition continues what was important to Serhii Kemskyi himself – to think, research, analyze and speak responsibly about society and the future of Ukraine. In total, from 2018 to 2026, the Competition has brought together 335 participants from 130 educational institutions” — said Nataliia Darahan.
The Serhii Kemskyi Award was established by the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity and the NGO “Family of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred” as part of the “Heroes’ Awards” project. Its aim is to research the Revolution of Dignity and preserve the memory of the Heroes who fought for Ukraine’s freedom.
Serhii Kemskyi was a historian, political scientist, journalist, Hero of Ukraine and Hero of the Heavenly Hundred. He published in print and online media, translated from English, and was a co-founder of the Institute of Political and Economic Risks and Prospects. On February 20, 2014, he was killed by a bullet on Instytutska Street. He was only 32 years old.
