Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Regional rounds of Kelajak ovozi Talented Youth Contest have come to an end. Launched in 2005 by Gulnara Karimova, the chairperson of the Fund Forum’s Board of Trustees, the project has this year covered over 71,000 boys and girls across the country. The selection rounds lasted for two weeks at district and regional level and included prominent science, culture and art professionals in the contest’s Public Council.

The contest participants – youths aged 15-25 – demonstrated their knowledge and talents in areas such as architecture, design, IT, rationalization proposals, technical developments, applied art, and literature.

The regional rounds of the contest concluded with the Tashkent round, held on May 15. This year the competition is believed to have been tougher while the jury selected nominees in three stages: application selection, district round, and city round. Of 9,715 applicants in Tashkent, around 4,000 made it to the city round. Only 15 of these – one in each category – will go to the Republican round, which will bring together all regional winners in December in Tashkent.

“This year participants have come up with interesting and necessary projects,” says Karima Norkulova, vice-rector of the Technical University of Uzbekistan and a member of the jury for the category IT, Rationalization Proposals and Technical Developments. “Most importantly, the bulk of the projects have a practical applied character. This is the sort of projects that can be implemented in specific branches of economy. We have also received developments related to the development of waste-free production systems, production of secondary raw materials and creation of ecologically free products.”

“The level of applicants’ work continues to grow year after year,” says Rustam Abdurakhmanov, pro-rector of Tashkent IT University and Web-developments coordinator for the contest. “The competitors in the category IT have shown a professional approach and the projects reflect the interests of the youth. Among the participants are school children who have come up with very interesting ideas related to distance learning.”

Kelajak ovozi Talented Youth Contest gives the youth an opportunity to showcase their skills and aptitudes in practically all scientific and creative directions.

The winners of the contest are provided with comprehensive support from the organizers, respective organizations as well as specialists and professionals who are Public Council members. They receive assistance in patenting their developments, implementing their projects, participation in republican and international festivals and further professional growth. A Youth Initiative Center has been set up based on the project.