St Petersburg University accepts applications to compete for the Boris Piotrovsky Prize
St Petersburg University is launching a competition to encourage young professionals who contribute to the development of research and implementation of projects in the field of cultural heritage preservation and museum work in Russia and abroad. The prize bears the name of the outstanding Soviet orientalist and archaeologist Boris Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum (1964–1990).
This prize is awarded for: research in museology and preservation of cultural heritage; achievements in educational activities in the field of museology; and achievements in practical activities aimed at the preservation of cultural heritage.
The Boris Piotrovsky Prize of St Petersburg University was established in September 2020. It is awarded to young professionals once every two years.
Russians and foreign citizens under the age of 39 inclusive from among doctoral students, trainee assistants, scientific and pedagogical workers and other employees of cultural, scientific, and educational organisations, as well as restorers and architects, are allowed to participate in the competition. The prize can be awarded both to one applicant and to a group of contributors. Applications will be accepted until 19 July 2023.
The competition is dedicated to the memory of Boris Piotrovsky, an explorer of the Caucasus and the Ancient Orient (1908–1990). The outstanding archaeologist and orientalist, who headed the State Hermitage Museum for more than two decades, graduated from Leningrad State University. Since 1966, Boris Piotrovsky had been head of the Department of History of the Ancient East.