March 4 10:12
Sovcombank announced the start of the all-Russian micro-grant competition “Good Sounds Louder” for regional media. The initiative is aimed at supporting regional editorial offices and enhancing coverage of social, charitable and socially significant topics in local communities.
Applications are already open and will last until March 20, 2026, and the results of the competition will be published on April 22, 2026.
Registered regional media outlets that have their own websites on the Internet can participate in the competition. Media with website traffic from 10 to 300 thousand unique visitors per month are allowed to participate. The selection and size of microgrants depend on the monthly traffic to the media website over the last month according to SCAN-Interfax.
“We see the important role regional newsrooms play: they are the first to hear people’s requests and tell stories that build trust and engagement. The “Good Sounds Louder” competition is our contribution to the sustainability of local media and the dissemination of best practices in social responsibility. We strive to give editors a simple and transparent support tool so that strong materials sound louder and reach the widest possible audience,” said Vyacheslav Litovchenko, CEO of Sovcombank Technologies, leader of the “Good Technologies” and “Sovcombank about Good” projects.
Applications and information projects are assessed by an expert council. Council members analyze materials according to criteria such as literacy, style, completeness of the topic, the emotional component of the material and the ability to generate interest in the object of description. At the first stage, the council included: Artem Minaev, Director for External Relations and Development, Istoki Endowment Fund; Vadim Kovalev, Chairman of the Moscow Public Chamber; Alena Artasheva, communications director of the Culture of Philanthropy charity foundation; Anton Zapolsky, head of the public relations department of Sovcombank. The list of members of the expert council will be expanded. The work of the expert council begins after the deadline for accepting applications and will end on April 20.
“Strong regional media are the foundation of civil society. The Good Sounds Louder competition encourages journalism that helps people and unites the non-profit sector, business and government around concrete solutions and real stories of change. It is important that the rules of participation are transparent and the criteria are clear – this creates trust and motivates editorial staff to develop,” shares Vadim Kovalev, member of the expert council, chairman of the Moscow Public Chamber.
After evaluating the works at the first stage, participants who have passed the selection of the expert council will be included in the shortlist, from which the winners will be selected. The volume of the microgrant is calculated on a scale tied to the number of unique visitors to the media website. The top 5 participants with the most points will be entitled to an increase in the amount of grants – from 25% to 125% depending on the position.
The central theme of the materials is coverage of the activities of non-profit organizations taking part in the charitable projects “Sovcombank for Good” and “Technologies for Good”. The presented works may be related to charity, social support, as well as real cases of how NPOs help their clients and/or socially significant institutions of society.
You can apply for participation in the competition and find out all additional information on the competition website dobrogromche.rf.
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