According to Oksana Ostashko, the Minister of Education in the Tula Region, this year Mikhail Shelkov decided to increase the total prize money awarded by Empathy from 11 to 14.5 million rubles (from 140 000 to 184 000 USD) and to introduce new categories.
Starting in 2023, museum directors from schools will be able to participate in the competition, and a new category called “Innovation and Traditions” has been added for them. New subcategories have also been introduced for mentor teachers, including “Leading Mentor,” “Senior Mentor” and “Specialist Mentor.”
The winners will receive a one-time payment, which has increased from 100,000 (1500 USD) to 150,000 (2 173 USD) rubles, or monthly payments of 20,000 (290 USD) rubles for one year.
The jury will select 63 winners based on the results of the competition. The award ceremony will be held in the “Oktava” cluster and will be dedicated to Teacher’s Day.
– “Leading Mentor” – one-time payment of 150,000 (2 173 USD) rubles to each winner.
– “Senior Mentor” – one-time payment of 150,000 (2 173 USD) rubles to each winner.
– “Specialist Mentor” – one-time payment of 150,000 (2 173 USD) rubles to each winner.
– “Teacher” – one-time payment of 150,000 (2 173 USD) rubles to each winner.
– “Methodologist” – one-time payment of 150,000 (2 173 USD) rubles to each winner.
– “Librarian / Educational Museum Director” – one-time payment of 150,000 (2 173 USD) rubles to each winner.
On June 18, 2021, entrepreneur Mikhail Shelkov, the founder of the Empathy Charitable Foundation, and Alexey Dyumin, governor of the Tula region, signed a cooperation agreement. Its aim was to support educational activities, develop creative and intellectual abilities, and enhance the professional competence of educators in the Tula region.
The agreement marked the beginning of a new regional competition. The Ministry of Education of the Tula region and the Empathy Charitable Foundation became the organizers of the competition. In its first year, 33 distinguished educators were recognized across 11 categories. In 2022, the total prize money provided by Empathy exceeded 11 million rubles, and nearly 600 educators participated in the competition. Additionally, four new categories were introduced, and the number of winners increased to 51.
“If we didn’t have worthy teachers, we wouldn’t have engineers or astronauts. In this case, businesses are obliged to participate and to do what they can in order to give teachers what they deserve. I expect that other regions will follow suit.”