The State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve “Bozok” is holding the Republican Remote Online Essay Competition entitled “Ancient Bozok Settlement and Modern Astana.”

We invite everyone to take part and not miss the opportunity to demonstrate their creativity! The competition rules are provided below.

RULES

for conducting the Republican Remote Online Essay Competition dedicated to Republic Day on the topic “Ancient Bozok Settlement and Modern Astana”

1. General Provisions

The Republican State Enterprise “State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve ‘Bozok’ of the Culture Committee of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan” (hereinafter referred to as the “Bozok Museum-Reserve”) organizes the Republican Remote Online Essay Competition “Ancient Bozok Settlement and Modern Astana” (hereinafter referred to as the “Competition”) among students of general education organizations in the city of Astana.

These Rules define the goals, objectives, and procedure for conducting the Competition.

Goals and objectives of the Competition:

1. To develop the younger generation’s interest in the history of their country.
2. To develop students’ creative abilities and written communication skills.
3. To foster patriotism, respect for their country, and an active civic position.
4. To support talented students.

Essay topics under the theme “From Bozok to Astana: Continuity of the History of the Great Steppe”:

• “Bozok – a predecessor of Astana in its thousand-year history”;
• “Bozok – the cultural heritage of the Great Steppe”;
• “Preserving the past – creating the future”;
• “My future is the future of Kazakhstan”;
• “The Republic of Kazakhstan: the path to independence and statehood”.

2. Dates and Procedure of the Competition

Competition entries will be accepted electronically from September 15 to October 15, 2026 via the following e-mail address:

bozok.konkurs@gmail.com

Works submitted after October 15, 2026, as well as works that do not meet the established requirements, will not be considered.

The Competition results, winners’ diplomas, and participants’ certificates will be published on October 26, 2026, on the official website:

bozok.kz

Submitted competition works will not be returned. The organizers reserve the right to publish competition materials in the mass media with attribution to the authors.

To participate in the Competition, the following documents must be sent to bozok.konkurs@gmail.com:

• application form according to the attached template;
• the competition essay in electronic format.

3. Requirements for Competition Participants

The Competition is open to students of Grades 7–8 of general education organizations in Astana.

Middle age group: 12–14 years old.

The essay must be typed using MS Word.

Formatting requirements:

• font — Times New Roman;
• font size — 14;
• line spacing — 1;
• length — 250–300 words;
• paper size — A4.

Evaluation criteria:

• relevance to the Competition topic;
• compliance with the participant’s age characteristics;
• originality of the plot and the author’s personal position;
• richness of imagination and creative approach;
• quality of language and aesthetic presentation.

The title page must contain:

• essay topic;
• region, district (city), village;
• name of the educational organization;
• name of the Competition;
• author’s surname and first name;
• participant’s age;
• grade;
• e-mail and contact details;
• surname, first name and patronymic of the supervisor.

Competition works must not have been previously published on any website.

Entries are accepted in Kazakh and Russian.

4. Announcement of Competition Results

Following the Competition, the jury will determine the winners.

The winners will receive online diplomas of I, II and III degree.

Participants who do not receive prize places will be awarded certificates, while the supervisors of the winners will receive letters of appreciation.

Electronic versions of the winners’ diplomas, supervisors’ letters of appreciation, and participants’ certificates will be posted on bozok.kz and will be available for automatic download.