The Social Fund and Rostelecom have opened the submission of entries for 12th nationwide competition Thank You, Internet! 2026. The competition is held annually under the Internet Alphabet project.
Internet users over the age of 50 and disabled individuals of all ages can participate. Participants' main goal is to learn how to handle computers and the internet, either independently or using specialized computer literacy courses, in order to share their achievements in their contest entry.
Main categories:
- My Internet Achievement.
- My Internet Initiative.
- I Am an Internet Star.
- I Am a Volunteer!
A special 2026 category for computer course teachers is Own-Developed Teaching Methods. It provides an opportunity to share experience and methods with colleagues. Teachers themselves choose winners in that category through voting in their personal accounts on the contest website.
This year, the contest will include two stages. The acceptance of applications and registration of contest entries is to last from April 28 to October 27 (until 3 p.m.). The contest commission is to evaluate the entries and summarize the results in the key categories by November 10. Teachers' voting in the Own-Developed Teaching Methods category also takes place on October 27 – November 10.
In order to participate in the contest, you have to submit an application and attach your entry: an essay on a topic in one of the categories, as well as photographs. The winners will be determined by the members of the contest commission, which includes representatives from Rostelecom and the Social Fund.
Detailed participation conditions and timelines for the contest are available on the Internet Alphabet portal. All entries are also published on the project website.
Note that the Thank You, Internet! competition takes place annually and is designed to make government electronic services more accessible for older adults, support active longevity, and promote the employment of retirees and pre-retirement age people. The competition also helps identify the most relevant internet resources and the regions that are most interested in holding computer literacy training for retirees.
The textbook and the Internet Alphabet portal were developed under an agreement signed in 2014 between the Pension Fund of Russia and Rostelecom and focused on cooperation in teaching retirees to handle computers and work online.
Lately, the Social Fund's Communication Centers for Seniors have increasingly served as venues for that purpose. Functioning across the country, including in remote regions, these centers give older people a chance to spend their time in fun and useful ways, learn new skills and remain socially engaged, through the Internet Alphabet courses, among others.