The award ceremony was attended by secretary general George Katulin, Belarus' 1992 Olympic C2 500 metres canoeing champion Dmitry Dovgalenok, and Nanjing 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games medallists, Anna Tarasiuk and Elvira Herman, winners of gold in the javelin and silver in the 100m hurdles respectively.

Contestants were tasked with producing a picture depicting sporting activity and writing an essay, both reflecting the theme of "living an active lifestyle".

Katulin said the competition forms part of the NOC of the Republic of Belarus' youth policy in promoting a healthy lifestyle and Olympic values, and is the embodiment of one of the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter, which states that Olympism combines sport with culture and education.

Boys and girls aged between 15 and 18 years old were able to enter, as more than 410 teenagers from across the country submitted their work.

Alexander Nekrash, 16, from Gomel, won the boys' category with his representation of canoeing, while Julia Mitskievich, 15, from Minsk, won the girls' competition with her depiction of volleyball.

The top three boys and girls from more than 410 applicants were invited to the ceremony ©Belarus NOC



Nekrash, who has won national competitions in canoeing, said: "Now I'm on a training camp in Minsk, and to come to the ceremony was an honour for me.

"I really liked the NOC headquarters, and [was] very impressed by the hall of Olympic champions.

"I'll do my best to get better and win medals for Belarus."

Andrey Zhelnakov and Alexander Scheberako finished second and third respectively in the boys' category, while Daria Leuta and Anastasia Borovskaya completed the top three in the girls' category. 

The competition began in August, the same month in which the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games took place.

For several months all submitted applications were examined, read and published on the NOC of the Republic of Belarus Facebook page, allowing people to vote for their favourite.

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