About the prize

Plyuschev award (hereinafter referred to as the "Prize") is a contest for new services and websites (start-ups) in Runet.

The prize was named for Mr. Аlexander Plyuschev, who is Internet commentator for Ekho Moskvy (Echo of Moscow) Russian radio station based in Moscow and for "Vesti" TV channel. The co-founders of the prize are «К2Kapital», a research and information portal, and the Organizing Committee of "Elba" forum of Internet start-up projects developers and investors.

The Prize is announced for the first time in 2009, so the participants have a unique chance to figure themselves in the Runet history. The Prize is a real opportunity for new projects developers to obtain their first award, to find recognition among the professionals, to demonstrate themselves to prospective investors and to the open public.

Purposes and targets

•  Introduction of new projects and ideas of the year in the Russian segment of Internet on both national and global levels.
•  Publicity and promotion of the best Internet projects of the year, self-motivated and creative teams and the promising authors among the industry professionals, investors and wide public.
•  Enhancing the mutual trust among the developers and investors in Internet environment, enhancing the attractiveness of new Internet projects for advertisers and investors.

Ceremony

The first official awarding ceremony is to be held under the program of "Elba" forum in "Bor" country recreation and retreat center under the RF Presidential Property Management Department  from November 27 to November 29, 2009.

Prize Nominations

Idea: an interesting, witty, cute idea, possibly a non-complete project

A prospect: a development, which is intended to be implemented more likely in the future.

Usefulness: a project, which is already generating profit, is popular and is in demand

Implementation: a project, which is the most perfect in its form

Content: for high quality information content of the project

Users' choice:  a project, which received the biggest number of the visitors' votes

Randomizer:  a sportful lottery with a real cash prize, to be held among the projects developers, who are registered as participants and personally attend the ceremony

Grand-Prix: the best project among all projects presented.

Awards

Award to the nomination winners: the special figurine, the award winner certificate and the special digital medal to be displayed on the website.

The nominees are to be awarded by the diplomas.

Criteria for projects evaluation

Ingenuity of a project idea

Strategic planning, vision of perspectives

Use of various techniques and technical aids for implementation

Complexity of set tasks

Results matching the set tasks

Specific features of the project

Terms of participation in the project

The contest for the Prize is open for all start-ups: Internet project that are not owned by the leading players in the Internet market and off-line market.

A competitioner project should have been published in Internet during the last 365 days.

A hosting country and interface language are not relevant, the only criterion is the following: the authors or the owners themselves shall refer the project to Runet zone and believe that in the future it will become targeted on the Russian audience as well. 

Form of the project ownership is not essential.

The application: a registration form, which may be completed on the website or sent by e-mail in Russian or English language in a free form with a brief overview of the project, contact details of the authors or owners of the resource and with a published reference to the project.

The jury of the contest may on its own make propositions to any projects to participate in the contest but is not entitled to nominate any projects without consent of the authors or owners. 

Applications should be submitted by November 12, 2009 at the latest.

The project authors shall distribute the applications between the nominations. A single project may participate in two nominations.

Any participant of the contest may place but is not obligated to place the project knob on its website, however participants are not entitled to use technical aids for improper increase of voting ratings.

No fee is charged for participation in the contest.

Participation in the official awarding ceremony is free solely for the nominees and the winners.

See here in more detail about the participation.