Terms and Conditions of the Annual International Educational Campaign "Geographical Dictation"

1. General Provisions

1.1. The present Terms and Conditions define the procedure and conditions for holding the annual international educational campaign “Geographical Dictation” (hereinafter referred to as the Dictation).
1.2. The organizer of the Dictation is the All-Russian Public Organization “Russian Geographical Society” (TIN: 7812011023, PSRN: 1037858010970) (hereinafter referred to as the RGS, the Society).
1.3. Overall management of the preparation, holding, and summing-up of the results of the Dictation is exercised by the Organizing Committee; operational management is exercised by the Working Group. The membership of the Organizing Committee and the Working Group is formed from among representatives of the RGS, partner organizations, and implementing organizations.
1.4. The Dictation assignments are edited by an authors’ team formed by the Working Group from among representatives of specialized educational and research institutions, as well as specialized organizations with experience in developing intellectual games.
1.5. The Dictation assignments may include questions received under the International Contest “Write Your Question for the Geographical Dictation” (hereinafter referred to as the Contest), held on the official website of the RGS from 5 March to 1 June 2026.
1.6. Russian companies whose activities are related to various fields of Earth sciences also take part in forming the Dictation assignments. Questions submitted by organizations are included in the versions of the Dictation with mandatory indication of authorship.
1.7. All Dictation assignments undergo mandatory expert review. The membership of the expert commission, formed from among professional geographers, is determined by the Working Group. Based on the results of the review, the assignments are revised if necessary.
1.8. The Dictation is held at venues in all constituent entities of the Russian Federation and in foreign countries.
1.9. Informational support is provided by international, federal, and regional mass media.
1.10. Complete information about the Dictation is posted on the website https://dictant.rgo.ru/en (hereinafter referred to as the Dictation Website).

2. Purpose, Objectives, and Principles of the Dictation

2.1. The Dictation is held for the purpose of popularizing geographical knowledge and increasing interest in the geography of Russia.
2.2. The objectives of the Dictation are:
- to motivate the population of Russia to study the geography of their native country, knowledge of which is an integral part of an educated person;
- to attract interest in Russia and to disseminate reliable information about it abroad;
- to give residents of Russia and foreign countries the opportunity to take part in an intellectual competition in geography and to learn their results;
- to draw the attention of the mass media to the popularization of geography.
2.3. The Dictation is based on the following principles:
- the principle of voluntariness of participation in writing the Dictation and in work on its preparation and holding;
- the principle of openness – anyone who wishes may take part in writing the Dictation, regardless of age, education, social affiliation, religion, or citizenship;
- the principle of accessibility – participation in the Dictation is free of charge; each participant is provided with a Dictation answer form; verification of the work and receipt of the results on the Dictation Website are guaranteed if the participant has the individual identification number and/or QR code issued during the writing of the Dictation;
- the principle of anonymity – when answering the Dictation assignments, participants do not give their names;
- the principle of competence – qualified specialists in geography take part in developing the assignments, which ensures the accuracy and relevance of the materials;
- the principle of unity of time, writing procedure, and assessment criteria – the Dictation is held on one day at the same time in all constituent entities of the Russian Federation and in foreign countries (local time); participants of the Dictation are given the same amount of time to complete the assignments; all assignments are checked and scored according to uniform criteria;
- the principle of a barrier-free environment – writing the Dictation is accessible to persons with limited mobility and to persons with visual impairments.

3. Participants of the Dictation

3.1. Participants of the Dictation may be residents of Russia and foreign countries who speak Russian and/or the languages into which one of the versions of the current year’s Dictation will be translated in accordance with clause 5.4 of the present Terms and Conditions, regardless of age, level of education, social affiliation, religion, or citizenship.
3.2. A person may become a participant of the Dictation by applying to any venue at which it is held, regardless of place of residence or registration. Information about the nearest venue may be found on the official Dictation Website.
3.3. A person may become a participant of the Dictation by joining the campaign in the online format on the Dictation Website. The procedure for online participation is set out in detail in clause 5.10 of the present Terms and Conditions.

4. Venues of the Dictation

4.1. Venues of the Dictation may be any organizations in Russia and foreign countries, including general education organizations, professional educational organizations, higher education organizations, research and public organizations, regional branches of the Russian Geographical Society, RGS Centers abroad, Russian Centers of Science and Culture abroad, and others.
4.2. A venue of the Dictation is subject to mandatory registration on the Dictation Website within the specified registration period. Registration of a venue after the registration period has ended is not permitted. To register a venue, an application must be completed in the personal account after registration on the official Dictation Website. After registration, the application will be checked by a moderator for correctness and, if there are no remarks, published on the Dictation Website.
4.3. Where possible, a venue of the Dictation shall arrange a barrier-free entrance for persons with disabilities writing the Dictation: special lifts/ramps, elevators, wide doors, information in a form accessible to persons with disabilities, admission of sign-language and tactile interpreters, admission of guide dogs, and other conditions of venue accessibility. Information on such capabilities of the Dictation venue shall be indicated when completing the application to establish a Dictation venue.
4.4. Specialized venues of the Dictation, or rooms at standard Dictation venues, may be organized for persons with visual impairments. In that case, Responsible Organizers will be provided with a separate version of the Dictation for persons with visual impairments, which must be used. Information on the accessibility of the venue for persons with visual impairments will be displayed on the Dictation Website in the section “Geography of the Dictation.”
4.5. The Venue Head is the head of the organization responsible for holding the Dictation. The Responsible Organizer of the venue is the person authorized by the Venue Head to organize and hold the Dictation at the venue.
4.6. During the period of preparation for the Dictation, venues receive comprehensive informational and advisory-methodological assistance, as well as access in the personal account on the Dictation Website to all necessary documents in Russian and English: Dictation answer forms; instructions on holding the Dictation and completing the forms; official banners and the design style of the Dictation; assignment sheets; presentation materials for on-screen display; and the scenario plan for holding the Dictation.
4.7. The venue undertakes to organize and hold the Dictation, including:
- providing premises equipped with seating for Dictation participants and with projection and other equipment for displaying the Dictation assignments;
- printing Dictation answer forms according to the number of persons wishing to complete the assignments at the given venue, within the capacity of the venue;
- printing Certificates of Participation in the Dictation according to the number of seats, and issuing them to participants who have come to the venue immediately after writing the Dictation;
- printing assignment sheets according to the number of persons wishing to complete the assignments at the given venue, within the capacity of the venue;
- providing participants of the Dictation with pens or pencils (where possible);
- engaging, for the reading of the Dictation assignments, geography specialists, teachers, and well-known persons from among travelers, writers, public figures, actors, journalists, television presenters, and politicians (where possible);
- taking photographs and/or video of the Dictation (where possible);
- organizing an educational, outreach, and/or entertainment program of events on the day of the Dictation that promotes the dissemination of geographical knowledge and the development of interest in geography, educational tourism, nature conservation, and other fields;
- scanning and uploading scanned copies of the completed Dictation answer forms to the Dictation Website;
- providing photographs/video and a brief informational report on the holding of the event.
4.8. Participation of research, educational, public, and other organizations as venues of the Dictation is voluntary and free of charge. Volunteers may be engaged to work at the venue if necessary. Expenses for producing printed forms, purchasing stationery, and using office equipment and premises are covered from the own funds of the organization on whose premises the venue is organized.
4.9. Responsibility for compliance with the principles and procedure for holding the Dictation rests with the Venue Head. If violations of the principles and procedure for holding the Dictation are identified, the Organizer of the Dictation reserves the right:
- to exclude the venue at which the violations were identified from the list of venues for the current year (with cancellation of the results of writing the Dictation at that venue) and to prohibit registration of the venue for the following year’s Dictation;
- to publish on the Dictation Website information on the Venue Head’s failure to fulfill in good faith the conditions for holding the Dictation.

5. Organization and Holding of the Dictation

5.1. The Dictation is held in all constituent entities of the Russian Federation and abroad, both in person at specially organized venues and online on the official Dictation Website. The date and time of the in-person and online formats, and other important dates, are set out in Section 6 of the present Terms and Conditions.
5.2. The in-person Dictation is held on a single day at 12:00 local time.
5.3. Access to the online Dictation opens on the first day of the campaign and remains open from 22 November to 10 December. Participants may take the Dictation at any time during this period.
5.4. The Dictation is compiled in several versions, differentiated by format, target audience, and period of holding.
5.5. For in-person holding at official venues, three versions of the assignments are provided:
- the Main version – 30 questions in Russian for a wide range of participants;
- the International version (for a foreign audience) – a shortened version of 20 questions developed for a foreign audience (with the option of a regional component). It is held in Russian, English, and at least ten other languages; the approved list is posted on the official resources of the Campaign. Other languages are possible upon an individual request of a venue, provided that the venue organizes a voluntary translation;
- the version for the visually impaired – an adapted version of 30 questions in Russian for visually impaired participants and persons with limited vision.
5.6. For online completion on the official Dictation Website, five versions are provided:
- the Main version – the same questions as the in-person Main version, adapted for the online format; 30 questions in Russian;
- the International version (for a foreign audience) – adapted for the online format; 20 questions. It is held in Russian, English, and at least ten other languages; the approved list is posted on the official resources of the Campaign. Other language versions may be prepared upon prior request if a translation is arranged;
- “Geodictation. Advanced Level” – a higher-difficulty version for in-depth study of geography, comprising 20 expert-level questions in Russian. Access opens automatically after completion of the Main version;
- the Extra version – an additional online version of 30 questions in Russian, launched at the same time as the Main and International versions. It may be taken an unlimited number of times; results are available immediately after completion. A Certificate of Participation and other incentives are not issued for the Extra version;
- the Demo version – an introductory version of 30 questions in Russian, published on the Dictation Website one month before the start of the campaign so that participants may become familiar with the interface and the nature of the assignments. Results of the Demo version are not taken into account when the results of the Dictation are summed up.
5.7. The assignments consist of closed-type questions, including tasks on establishing the correct order, choosing an extra option from a group, establishing correspondence, and other formats, developed on the basis of the geography curricula of basic general and secondary general education in the Russian Federation.
5.8. Except for the International version and “Geodictation. Advanced Level,” each version consists of 30 questions divided into two parts by difficulty: Part 1 (questions 1–10) – basic level, based on well-known geographical facts; Part 2 (questions 11–30) requires imaginative thinking, systematic logic, and general knowledge. The International version and “Geodictation. Advanced Level” contain 20 questions each and are not divided into parts. The Demo version is intended solely for familiarization with the format and interface; it is not assessed, and its results are not recorded or published.
5.9. All assessed versions (in-person and online) use a single dichotomous scoring system: 1 point for each correct answer; 0 points for an incorrect answer; only one answer to each question is correct. The maximum score is 30 points for 30-question versions (10 for Part 1 and 20 for Part 2) and 20 points for 20-question versions (the International version and “Geodictation. Advanced Level”).
5.10. Procedure for the in-person Dictation at a venue:
- before the start, each participant receives a printed answer form, an assignment sheet, and oral instructions on completing the form. Participants have no more than 45 minutes to complete the assignments. The total duration, including briefing, is 60 minutes;
- each participant is issued an answer form with an individual identification number and a QR code. The number and QR code are also printed on the second sheet of the form, which is retained by the participant for notes. Using them, the participant may check the result on the Dictation Website. The procedure for assigning identification numbers and QR codes is set out in the instructions on holding the Dictation;
- participants are recommended to complete the assignments independently, without outside assistance and without using external sources of information. Technical assistance by volunteers is permitted for persons with visual impairments;
- completed forms submitted for checking are scanned at the venues; scanned copies are uploaded in the personal account on the Dictation Website within the time limits specified in Section 6;
- venues are responsible for transmitting the completed forms to the Organizer of the Dictation;
- forms submitted for checking are not annotated and are not returned to participants. No appeal is provided for;
- the participant is responsible for completing the form correctly. Incorrect completion results in cancellation of the score;
- individual results (by identification number and QR code) and the correct answers are published on the Dictation Website within the time limits specified in Section 6;
- each venue is issued a Letter of Appreciation addressed to the Venue Head and to the Responsible Organizer. Letters of Appreciation may be downloaded from the personal account only after the completed forms submitted to the Organizer have been checked and approved;
- each participant who writes the Dictation at a venue is issued a Certificate of Participation immediately afterwards. Certificate layouts are provided to each venue by the Organizer in the personal account;
- a participant who does not receive a Certificate at the venue may obtain it on the Dictation Website by completing a form of consent to the processing of personal data and stating the individual identification number;
- a Certificate of Participation is issued only if an individual identification number is available. Absence or incorrectness of the number is grounds for refusal;
- each venue is provided with layouts of acknowledgements for organizational and volunteer assistance, which the Venue Head and/or Responsible Organizer may issue at their discretion.
5.11.Procedure for the online Dictation on the Dictation Website
5.11.1. The online Dictation is held without prior registration and is open to anyone during the period established by Section 6. No account or personal cabinet is required; it is sufficient to visit the Website during that period.
5.11.2. The participant selects one of the versions available on the Website:
- the Main version;
- the International version (for a foreign audience);
- the Extra version.
“Geodictation. Advanced Level” may not be selected as a starting version. Access is granted automatically after completion of the Main version (see clause 5.11.5).
5.11.3. Completion of the participant questionnaire is required for access to the Main and International versions. The questionnaire for the International version is shortened. No questionnaire is required for the Extra version or for “Geodictation. Advanced Level.”
5.11.4. After the questionnaire is completed (Main and International versions), the participant is automatically assigned a unique 13-digit identification number. This number must be saved; results and the Certificate of Participation will be available under it within the time limits established by Section 6.
5.11.5. Access to “Geodictation. Advanced Level” opens only after completion of the Main version. Re-entry of the identification number is not required; the system identifies the participant automatically. Only one attempt is allowed. Results are displayed immediately after completion.
5.12. Certificate of Participation and other incentives
5.12.1. A Certificate of Participation is issued to participants who complete the Main or International version. To obtain it, the participant must complete on the Dictation Website a form of consent to the processing of personal data and state the unique 13-digit identification number assigned after the questionnaire.
5.12.2. A participant who completes “Geodictation. Advanced Level” and answers 18 or more questions correctly receives an award document of the established form confirming completion of that version, together with an additional incentive. Participants with fewer than 18 correct answers do not receive an award document or incentive for that version. The conditions of the additional incentive are determined by the organizers and published on the Dictation Website.
5.12.3. No Certificate of Participation, award document, or other incentive is issued for the Extra version.
5.13. Results of the Main and International versions are available by individual identification number and are published on the Website within the time limits established by Section 6.
5.14. A statistical report is compiled on the basis of the results of the Dictation.

6. Key Dates – 2026

6.1. Registration of Dictation venues on the Dictation Website: from 1 September to 13 November 2026.
6.2. Access to the instructions on holding the Dictation on the Dictation Website: 8 September 2026.
6.3. Access for venues to the Dictation answer form, the participant certificate form, and other informational materials on the Dictation Website: from 22 October 2026.
6.4. Holding of the Demo version of the Dictation in the online format on the Dictation Website: from 22 October to 22 November 2026.
6.5. Access for venues to the scenario for holding the Dictation: by 9 November 2026.
6.6. Access for venues to the Dictation assignment sheets, PowerPoint presentations, and video presentations of the Dictation assignments on the Dictation Website: from 13 November 2026.
6.7. Holding of the Dictation at in-person venues: 22 November 2026 at 12:00 local time.
6.8. Holding of the Dictation in the online format on the Dictation Website: from 12:00 on 22 November to 12:00 on 10 December 2026.
6.9. Upload by venues of scanned participant answer forms to the Dictation Website: from 22 November to 7 December 2026.
6.10. Publication of the correct answers on the Dictation Website: 11 December 2026.
6.11. Publication of individual Dictation results on the Dictation Website: from 21 December 2026.

Dictation Website: http://dictant.rgo.ru./en

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