ПОЛОЖЕНИЕ

О КОНКУРСЕ «ЛИДЕРЫ В ИНТЕРЕСАХ ЖЕНЩИН»

• содействие возвращению женщин на рынок труда после декретного отпуска;
• содействие профессиональному долголетию, включая развитие компетенций женщин
• старшего возраста;
• развитие программ сохранения здоровья;
• развитие системы непрерывного образования и переподготовки кадров;
• поддержку реализации общественных и социальных инициатив.Разработка и внедрение специализированных программ, конкурсов и иных инициатив

• крупный бизнес (компании с численностью сотрудников от 250 человек);
• малый и средний бизнес;
• государственные, муниципальные учреждения и некоммерческие организации.

• председатель оргкомитета;
• заместитель председателя оргкомитета;
• секретарь оргкомитета;
• члены оргкомитета.

• разрабатывает и утверждает конкурсную документацию;
• обеспечивает организационно-техническое сопровождение проведения Конкурса;
• формирует Экспертный совет и обеспечивает его деятельность;
• составляет и утверждает календарный план проведения Конкурса;
• осуществляет взаимодействие с заинтересованными сторонами по вопросам проведения Конкурса;
• проводит приём и предквалификацию заявок, утверждает список участников Конкурса по результатам предквалификации;
• способствует распространению информации о Конкурсе и общественному признанию результатов;
• утверждает победителей Конкурса на основании результатов оценки заявок Экспертным советом;
• организует подведение итогов Конкурса;

12.2. Электронная почта Оргкомитета: leaders4women@yandex.ru.

КРИТЕРИИ ОЦЕНИВАНИЯ ЗАЯВОК КОНКУРСА

«ЛИДЕРЫ В ИНТЕРЕСАХ ЖЕНЩИН»

REGULATIONS

ON THE COMPETITION “LEADERS IN THE INTERESTS OF WOMEN”

In accordance with the National Strategy of Action in the Interests of Women until 2030, approved by the Government of the Russian Federation in 2022, the key guidelines of state policy include ensuring equal rights and freedoms, creating conditions for a harmonious combination of professional and family life, enhancing economic independence and social activity of women, as well as preserving their health throughout all life stages. These objectives align with the national goals established by Presidential Decree No. 309 dated May 7, 2024, “On the National Development Goals of the Russian Federation for the Period up to 2030 and for the Future up to 2036” (hereinafter referred to as the “Decree”), which include population preservation, strengthening citizens’ health, supporting families, realizing individual potential, and fostering a socially responsible society.

The Decree outlines specific targets, such as:

· increasing the total fertility rate to 1.6 by 2030 and to 1.8 by 2036, including annual growth of the fertility rate for third and subsequent children;

· increasing life expectancy to 78 years by 2030 and to 81 years by 2036;

· reducing the total duration of temporary disability among working-age citizens by 2030;

· ensuring sustainable income growth and pension levels above the inflation rate.

In light of the projected personnel shortage, which may reach 3.1 million skilled workers by 2030, the activation of women’s employment is becoming a strategic resource for sustainable development. According to estimates by the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, integrating more women into the economy could boost GDP by 13–14%, underscoring their critical role in addressing demographic and economic challenges. Achieving goals related to fertility, life expectancy, disability reduction, and well-being requires consolidated efforts from government, business, and civil society.

To tackle these challenges, a comprehensive approach is needed, including:

· expanding corporate support programs for employees with children;

· facilitating women’s return to the labor market after maternity leave;

· promoting professional longevity, including the development of skills for older women;

· developing health preservation programs;

· advancing lifelong learning and workforce retraining systems;

· supporting the implementation of social and community initiatives.

The development and implementation of targeted programs, competitions, and initiatives in the interests of women, as well as their integration into organizational practices, strengthen companies' socio-economic resilience and foster new standards of social responsibility and gender equality in the Russian Federation.

The “Leaders in the Interests of Women” Competition (hereinafter referred to as the “Competition”) aims to serve as a platform for identifying, promoting, and scaling best practices aimed at improving women's quality of life, supporting their professional self-fulfillment, and reinforcing family values. The Competition also recognizes organizations demonstrating high social responsibility, reliability, and systematic policies in the interests of women.

1. General Provisions

These Regulations define the objectives, tasks, and procedures for organizing and conducting the international competition “Leaders in the Interests of Women” (hereinafter referred to as the “Competition”).

The organizers of the Competition are: the Council of the Eurasian Women’s Forum under the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, jointly with the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization “Institute for Demographic Development,” the Demographic Policy Institute named after D. I. Mendeleev, and the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE).

The organizers reserve the right to invite third parties to support and develop the Competition.

2. Purpose and Objectives of the Competition

2.1. The purpose of the Competition is to identify, promote, and scale up the best programs in the interests of women in the Russian Federation and beyond, aimed at: increasing women’s participation in the national economy; promoting the combination of professional self-realization, motherhood, and family responsibilities; supporting professional longevity; involving women in shaping the social agenda; and providing expert recognition of organizations implementing such programs.

2.2. Objectives of the Competition:

· identifying and promoting corporate programs in the interests of women;

· creating a platform for the exchange of effective corporate practices;

· providing expert recognition of socially responsible organizations.

3. Participants of the Competition

3.1. The following may participate in the Competition:

· organizations registered in the Russian Federation, regardless of ownership form, legal structure, industry, or type of economic activity (hereinafter referred to as “Russian organizations”);

· foreign organizations of all legal forms, registered in countries not included in the list of foreign states and territories that commit unfriendly actions against the Russian Federation and Russian legal and natural persons (hereinafter referred to as “foreign organizations”).

3.2. Categories of participants:

· large businesses (companies with 250 or more employees);

· small and medium-sized enterprises;

· government, municipal institutions, and non-profit organizations.

4. Conditions for Participation

4.1. The Competition is held annually in accordance with the current Regulations.

4.2. Participation in the Competition is free of charge and is based on submitting a Competition application and a package of documents in accordance with Appendix 2 of these Regulations.

4.3. Participants whose applications have passed the prequalification stage, based on compliance with the documentation requirements and participation conditions, are admitted to the Competition.

4.4. Requirements for Russian organizations:

· the organization must have been operating for at least one year;

· the organization must not be in the process of liquidation, declared bankrupt, or have its activities suspended under the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation;

· the organization must not have outstanding payments, including current ones, to budgets at all levels or state extra-budgetary funds as of the date no more than one month prior to the application date (except debts resulting from rounding errors by the tax authority);

· the organization must not have overdue wage arrears;

· the application must include accurate information and a full set of documents as required by these Regulations.

4.5. Requirements for foreign organizations:

· the organization must have been operating for at least one year;

· the organization and its leadership must not have committed unfriendly actions against the Russian Federation or Russian legal and natural persons.

4.6. An organization may be excluded from the Competition at any stage if incomplete or false information is provided or if the organization fails to meet the eligibility criteria during the Competition (before winners are announced).

4.7. The Competition organizer guarantees the confidentiality of any information that constitutes a commercial, official, or otherwise legally protected secret, as well as the personal data of organizational representatives participating in the Competition.

Other information, including details of corporate programs submitted for the Competition, may be used, promoted, and scaled by the organizer within the scope of the Competition’s organization and execution.

5. Organizing Committee of the Competition

5.1. To organize the Competition, an Organizing Committee (hereinafter referred to as the “Organizing Committee”) and an Expert Council (hereinafter referred to as the “Expert Council”) shall be established.

5.2. The Organizing Committee is composed of representatives of the Competition organizers.

5.3. The Organizing Committee includes:

· Chairperson of the Organizing Committee;

· Deputy Chairperson;

· Secretary;

· Members of the Organizing Committee.

5.4. The Organizing Committee performs the following functions:

· develops and approves Competition documentation;

· ensures organizational and technical support for the Competition;

· forms the Expert Council and facilitates its operations;

· prepares and approves the Competition schedule;

· liaises with stakeholders on matters related to the Competition;

· receives and prequalifies applications and approves the list of Competition participants based on prequalification results;

· promotes the Competition and encourages public recognition of its results;

· approves the winners based on the Expert Council’s evaluations;

· organizes the summarization of Competition results;

· arranges the award ceremony.

5.5. A meeting of the Organizing Committee is considered valid if at least half of its members are present.

5.6. Decisions of the Organizing Committee are made by majority vote of its members and documented in minutes signed by the meeting chair.

5.7. If a member of the Organizing Committee cannot attend a meeting in person, their opinion may be considered if provided remotely via information and communication technologies, in written form, or as an electronically signed document. Alternatively, a representative may attend the meeting with an advisory vote and submit the member’s written decision on the agenda to the Secretariat. The chair communicates the absent member’s opinion at the meeting.

5.8. The Chairperson of the Organizing Committee may initiate a remote vote between meetings. A decision is considered adopted if a majority of members vote in favor within the time period set by the Chair.

5.9. Meetings are chaired by the Chairperson or, by delegation, the Deputy Chairperson.

5.10. Representatives of government agencies or organizations not included in the Organizing Committee may be invited to meetings by decision of the Chairperson or Deputy Chairperson.

6. Expert Council of the Competition

6.1. The Expert Council of the Competition is composed of reputable professionals and experts and consists of Expert Groups corresponding to the Competition’s nominations.

6.2. The Expert Council:

· analyzes applications submitted by prequalified participants and evaluates the submitted materials;

· based on the evaluations, prepares and submits proposals for winners to the Organizing Committee for approval.

6.3. Members of the Expert Council perform their evaluations independently from the views of the Organizing Committee and the Competition’s financial partners. Information about the individual members of the Expert Council is kept confidential until the completion of the evaluation process and is disclosed at the Competition’s award ceremony.

6.4. If a situation arises in which a member of the Expert Council has a personal interest that could influence the evaluation process, the member must notify the Organizing Committee of a conflict of interest and recuse themselves from the evaluation.

7. Competition Nominations

7.1. Nominations for Russian organizations:

1. “Professional Longevity” – a program aimed at expanding opportunities for professional self-realization of older women, including equal hiring opportunities, implementation of flexible work arrangements, development of age-diverse teams, and providing continuing education to build new skills.

2. “Family and Career: A Space of Balance” – a program aimed at supporting female employees who are planning for motherhood or returning to work after parental leave, and employees with children; promotes family values, ensures work-life balance, and contributes to the implementation of the Russian Federation’s demographic policy.

3. “New Opportunities for Professional Development” – a program aimed at advancing women’s professional growth and increasing their competitiveness in the labor market, improving the well-being of working women through equal hiring practices, inclusion in talent pipelines, appointments to decision-making positions, and reducing gender pay gaps.

4. “Health Zone” – a program focused on improving physical and psychological health among employees, promoting a healthy lifestyle culture through sports events, mental wellness support, and disease prevention.

5. “School of Opportunities” – a program designed to support training and staff development, fostering a culture of continuous professional growth and enhancing qualifications as a foundation for effectiveness, motivation, and sustainable organizational development.

6. “Changing the World Together” – a socially significant program implemented with employee involvement, aimed at serving society, promoting philanthropy, volunteering, and addressing pressing social issues.

7.2. For foreign organizations:

A special nomination — “International Contribution” – a program implemented by a foreign company aimed at supporting women in professional and social spheres.

Programs may focus on creating an enabling environment for self-realization, strengthening health, work-life balance, education, equal opportunities, corporate responsibility, and more.

The goal of this nomination is to recognize and disseminate successful international practices, and to foster dialogue between Russian and foreign organizations on building an inclusive, sustainable, and socially responsible corporate environment.

7.3. For each nomination, no more than one first place, two second places, and two third places are awarded.

7.4. Based on the recommendation of the Expert Council, the Organizing Committee may decide to award the Grand Prix of the Competition.

7.5. Based on the recommendation of the Expert Council, the Organizing Committee may also decide not to award first, second, or third place in any given nomination.

8. Application Submission

8.1. To participate in the Competition, applicants must complete the application form on the official Competition website (https://womenlead.ru) and upload the required package of documents listed in Appendix 2 to these Regulations by 11:59 PM (Moscow time) on September 30, 2025.

8.2. For organizational inquiries, applicants may contact the Organizing Committee by sending a request to the Competition's email address: leaders4women@yandex.ru.

8.3. A participant may amend or withdraw their application and documents by notifying the Organizing Committee in writing before the submission deadline specified in section 8.1. The notification must be sent to the same email address with the subject line “Amendments.”

8.4. Russian organizations may submit multiple applications, but no more than one per nomination.

8.5. Foreign organizations may submit only one application in the special nomination “International Contribution.”

8.6. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered and will not be returned to the applicant.

9. Procedure for Determining Winners

9.1. The process of determining winners consists of two stages:

Stage I — expert evaluation of the programs based on the established criteria

(see Appendix 1);

Stage II — selection of winners by the Expert Council for each nomination from among the participants who passed Stage I.

9.2. Stage I — Expert Evaluation of Programs

Programs are evaluated by experts who are members of the Expert Group for the relevant nomination, in accordance with the criteria approved for each category.

Each application must be reviewed by at least three experts from the relevant Expert Group. Each expert evaluates the application independently, based on each criterion.

If a significant discrepancy is found in the final scores for an application (i.e., the difference between the highest and lowest total scores exceeds 30 points), the application is additionally evaluated by at least two more experts from the same Expert Group.

Based on the results of Stage I, a ranking of applications is compiled for each nomination in descending order of total points received. No more than six applications with the highest scores in each nomination will advance to Stage II.

9.3. Stage II — Selection of Winners by the Expert Council

The Expert Groups review and discuss the applications that passed Stage I and make decisions on awarding prize places for each nomination.

The Expert Council may organize additional meetings (including online) with participants who passed Stage I and may request additional information or supporting documents via the Organizing Committee.

Decisions on awarding first, second, and third places in each nomination are made by majority vote of the respective Expert Group members. In the event of a tie, the final decision is made by the Organizing Committee.

10. Award Ceremony

10.1. The award ceremony for the Competition winners will be held in a formal setting, during which commemorative awards will be presented.

10.2. The results of the Competition will be widely publicized through various communication channels to ensure broad dissemination of the Competition’s outcomes.

11. Competition Timeline for 2025–2026

· June 19, 2025 — Competition launch;

· June 19 – September 30, 2025 — Application submission period;

· October 1 – October 30, 2025 — Prequalification of applications based on formal criteria;

· November 1, 2025 – February 15, 2026 — Work of the Expert Council;

· February 15 – March 1, 2026 — Approval of the winners list by the Organizing Committee;

· March 2026 — Award ceremony.

12. Organizer Contacts

12.1. Official Competition website: https://womenlead.ru

12.2. Organizing Committee email address: leaders4women@yandex.ru

APPLICATION FORM

FOR THE CONTEST PARTICIPANT "LEADERS IN THE INTERESTS OF WOMEN"

(What support measures are provided? How diverse, flexible, and adapted are they to the individual needs of participants? Are different formats and participation options available? Other information)

6.6. Describe the novelty of approaches and the innovative potential of your program (How is the program different from others? What original solutions, new formats, or digital tools have been used? Describe other approaches to program implementation)

6.7. Describe  the  external  effect  and  social  impact  of  your  program (How did the program affect the environment outside the organization (employees’ families, community, professional sphere)? What changes or initiatives emerged beyond the company thanks to the program? Describe other outcomes of the program)

6.8. Describe the scalability potential and replication opportunities of your program (How adaptable is it to different conditions? Are there examples of expansion or interest from other organizations? Other information)

6.9. Describe additional effects achieved as a result of program implementation (How was feedback collected and taken into account? Were there any additional positive outcomes not initially planned? Describe other advantages of the program)

7.1. Attach documents confirming that the participating organization meets the requirements specified in Clause 4.4 (for Russian organizations) and Clause 4.5 (for foreign organizations) of the Contest Regulations.

Materials can be uploaded as a single archive in the appropriate section of the application form on the Contest website or sent to the email address: leaders4women@yandex.ru. Please indicate the name of the organization in the file name.

APPLICATION EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR THE COMPETITION

“LEADERS IN THE INTERESTS OF WOMEN”