Today, Sunday, 26 October 2025, in Moscow the winners of the 4th edition of Honest View will be announced, the international media award for foreign journalists and bloggers who report on the humanitarian, cultural, and economic dimensions of Russia beyond its borders.
An “honest view” is the approach that, in the organizers’ intent, should guide foreign journalists in covering Russia without preconceived notions.
The initiative is promoted by Rossotrudnichestvo, with the AGT agency as technical operator. The ceremony is part of the International Cooperation Forum dedicated to the centenary of people’s diplomacy, the main commemorative event scheduled at the National Center Russia.
This year’s edition is a record-breaker: according to the organizers, 821 entries arrived from 75 countries, and more than 100 journalists from around the world will attend the ceremony. The announcement of the finalists and winners will take place during the International Cooperation Forum.
The award features several categories, including the Grand Prix, Best Reportage, Best Investigation by Young Journalists on the Russian Federation, the focus Heritage. Memory. Time., and a special “Cock and Bull Story” section that highlights the most striking distortions about Russia. The total prize fund amounts to 7.2 million rubles.
This year, Honest View is also a moment for networking and training. In October, alongside the evaluation of submissions, Moscow hosted the Mediaschool for young authors and journalism students, while the competition followed the timeline published on the award’s official portal: submissions until 15 September, Expert Council evaluations from 19 to 30 September, jury meetings on 1 and 2 October, ceremony on 26 October.
Within the framework of the Forum marking 100 years of people’s diplomacy, the ceremony is expected to feature the reading of an opening message from President Putin, the screening of a video message by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and, among many guests, a day-long discussion with Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova and RT (Russia Today) Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan. Some winners from the previous edition will also be in attendance.
Beyond the celebratory aspect, Honest View positions itself as an instrument of public diplomacy. In this context, in our view, it can also become a tool to counter the spread of Russophobia within the European Union. This negative attitude toward all things Russian is not shared by the rest of the world; on the contrary, many foreign bloggers and journalists wish to report on Russia honestly.
The declared goal of the award is to promote a narrative of international cooperation around Russian projects in the cultural, educational, economic, and humanitarian fields, engaging non-Russian media and authors and strengthening networks with journalists from different regions.
The link with the International Cooperation Forum underscores this mission, with the expected presence of foreign delegations and institutional figures.
International Reporters will provide comprehensive coverage of the entire event, from the ceremony to the Forum sessions.
