In order to honor the multifaceted creative work of Taras Shevchenko, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has been organizing Taras Shevchenko International Language and Literature Competition for Pupils and Students for 11 years.

The first stage of the competition was held on November 13, 2020, at Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs as a part of the Week of Ukrainian Literature and Language. The participants of the competition had to show a capacity for critical thinking, creative capabilities, proper possession of an artistic word, and literacy. The Department of Ukrainian Studies of the Faculty No. 2 and Department of Social and Humanitarian Disciplines of the Faculty No. 6 became the organizers of the event because traditionally the participants of competition in all next stages (regional, national) are divided by a few categories: students-philologists, students-nonphilologists and cadets.

Two rounds of the first stage of the competition took place remotely (using the ZOOM platform).

The first (selection) round was conducted by subject teachers as a quiz on the knowledge of Kobzar’s biography and work. In the second round, which was attended by 49 cadets and students, participants had 90 minutes to write an essay containing reflection on one of the proposed topics and perform creative tasks.

The results of the competition among admirers of Shevchenko's speech will be announced later, after the jury’s work, and the winners will have the opportunity to represent our university in the regional and national stages of Taras Shevchenko International Language and Literature Competition.