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The Nominations for the Star of the Far East Award Were Opened on the Sidelines of the EEF

2 September 2021
На полях ВЭФ дан старт выдвижению номинантов  Премии «Звезда Дальнего Востока»

On 2 September in Vladivostok, on the margins of the VI Eastern Economic Forum, Russian Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic Alexei Chekunkov gave the go-ahead for nominations for the fourth Star of the Far East Public Business Award.

"There are 2,600 investment projects under way in the Far East, which will see 6.3 trillion RUB invested, and more than 2 trillion RUB of investment has already arrived in the regions. The driving force behind this momentum is active people, entrepreneurs who are launching new production facilities and creating jobs; public figures who invest their time and energy in implementing socially significant projects; and journalists who write about the Far East with love. I would like to thank the entrepreneurs, community representatives and journalists for the contribution you are making to the accelerated development of the region", said Alexey Chekunkov.

The award is being held for the fourth time this year. Its goal is to raise awareness among the country's residents about the opportunities in the region, the implementation of investment projects, as well as to celebrate the significant contribution made by citizens and organizations to the accelerated development of the Far Eastern regions, and to draw the attention of a wider audience to the social and business projects being implemented.

Representatives of all eleven regions of the Far East, including journalists, businesses, community leaders and foreign investors, will be able to participate in the Award. The selection will take place in ten key categories. Entrepreneurs will compete for the award in the categories Strategic Development, Manager, Best Employer, and Development of Territories. High-tech companies will be nominated in the category "Technological innovations". Small and medium-sized businesses qualify for a star in the Business Action category. Projects with foreign participation may receive a star in the Foreign Investor category. Media outlets will be nominated in the Openness category. The Star is traditionally awarded to the best users of the Far Eastern Hectare and for implementing social initiatives.

As Yury Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District, earlier noted: "The Star of the Far East Award is for proactive people. For journalists who write about the Far East. For social activists who develop their homeland and make life here better. For businesses that create new jobs, launch businesses, and use their tax money to build new roads, kindergartens, and schools.

Past winners were in attendance at the ceremony. For example, Kolmar, an anchor resident of South Yakutia's ASEZ, was repeatedly awarded for the implementation of its major investment projects, and the company's social focus was also noted. Thanks to Kolmar, the city of Neryungri is being transformed and new houses are being built. The company became the best employer in the Far East, creating new well-paid jobs. Thanks to this, Neryungri has become a new point of economic growth.

"This is the third year in a row that our company has been nominated for the award. This year, for the first time, we applied for two nominations at once, Best Employer and Development Territory. The Star of the Far East Award stimulates and motivates companies that implement projects in the Far East regions, and consequently improve the quality of life of people living there. On the one hand, as an employer, we are actively pursuing the investment phase of our project, our human resource potential is constantly growing: we also employ people from the Far Eastern Federal District, from neighbouring states, and from neighbouring countries. The benefits of the TOR regime allow us to actively invest in our project," said Anna Tsivileva.

The Dobroflot group of companies has been a repeat winner of the Award. Since the end of 2019, the company has launched two new production complexes for fish fillets and fish cookery. This has been made possible by the preferential TOR regime. "The Prize underscores the importance of the development of the Far East for Russia. We, as participants in this Prize and nominees of previous years, see great benefit in the Prize for the promotion of the projects we are involved in. In most cases, these projects involve a great deal of effort, which is not always visible to a larger part of the population, even in the Far Eastern Federal District itself. The Prize is important for communicating the business support measures being implemented by the Far Eastern Federal District, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, the residents of TOR and the Free Port of Vladivostok, and businesses", said Alexander Efremov, Managing Director of the Dobroflot Group of Companies.

Khabarovsk Airport won the Territory Development category in 2019 with the launch of a new terminal. Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the go-ahead for the new terminal complex. "The development of the Far East is one of the priority tasks of state policy. The Far Eastern regions are growing with new and exciting investment projects that not only stimulate the economy, but also create new conditions for the advancement of those people who live here and contribute to the future of the eastern territories every day. During the time the Star of the Far East Award has been held, its winners have been the largest companies, and some of the best companies, that have made a significant contribution to the development of the Far Eastern regions", noted Konstantin Basyuk, General Director of JSC Khabarovsk Airport.

"We, as the media, have a great responsibility to provide accurate information about how the Far East is developing and how it affects its residents," said Yulia Kremneva, editor-in-chief of Leader news agency, AiF – Dalinform, winner of the 2019 Openness nomination

The announcement of the results and the awards ceremony will take place in December during the Days of the Far Eastern Region in Moscow.

The award has been held since 2017 with the support of the Office of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Russian President in the Far Eastern Federal District, the Russian Ministry for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, and the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation.

More than 100 entrepreneurs, organizations, public figures and journalists who have made a significant contribution to the development of the Far East have been awarded the prize.