- All contestants must be 21 years of age or older
- All contestants must be U.S. citizens.
- Russia Beyond the Headlines is the sole sponsor of this contest. No employees of freelancers of RBTH or Russia Now, or their relatives, may enter the contest; neither may employees or relatives of The New York Times, The Washington Post, or any other newspaper in which Russia Beyond The Headlines is distributed.
- Material must be submitted between May 11 and June 1.
- All submissions (essays or videos) should be newspaper friendly in terms of content (No offensive language or expletives.
- The winner will be determined by a jury composed of members of the editorial staff of Rossiyskaya Gazeta and RBTH and staff of RACC.
- The winner of the contest will be announced in the next issue of Russia Beyond the Headlines in the New York Times on June 8.