More than a thousand schoolchildren, their academic supervisors and parents from 55 regions of Russia, as well as Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan took part in the final stage of the 31st Vernadsky All-Russian Youth Readings in Moscow.
This competition has a long history and rich traditions. Scientific and methodological support for the event is provided by the V. I. Vernadsky Nongovernmental Ecological Foundation, as well as the RAS Commission for the Development of the Heritage of Outstanding Scientists.
The solemn opening of the Readings took place on April 16 in the Great Hall of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where a vast program of the event was presented. 
At a poster session supported by the Vernadsky Foundation, students presented their research papers in 33 sections, covering all areas of natural sciences and humanities.
In total, more than 500 papers were reviewed, which were evaluated by 150 experts – doctors and candidates of sciences, scientific volunteers from universities and scientific institutions of the Russian Academy of Sciences. They identified the laureates and diploma holders, as well as the best works in 15 categories of the competition, giving participants recommendations for further development of research.
In the nomination "For Contribution to Sustainable Development", which is traditionally announced by the V.I. Vernadsky Nongovernmental Ecological Foundation, the works of Alyona Posternak from the Lyceum at Tomsk Polytechnic University on the topic "Determination of Heavy Metals in Water Sources in the Village of Tankhoy (Republic of Buryatia)" and the works of Karina Magomedova and Alice Yashurina from the Children's Ecological Station of the city are recognized in Novy Urengoy, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, who investigated the migration routes of the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) the Taz Peninsula. 
In total, 73 works in the field of natural sciences and 63 works in the humanitarian field were awarded. The purpose of the Vernadsky All-Russian Youth Readings is to attract young people to the traditions of the Russian scientific school. Educational and research works are accepted for the competition, during which students get acquainted with the history and current state of scientific fields, acquire experimental work skills, conduct their own research and data analysis, formulate results.