E1.RU drastically changes award rules for business
The E1.RU People's Award in Yekaterinburg has changed its rules, making past winners expert guests and opening competition to new businesses.
Jul 29, 2026 0
In 2026, we will award the People«s Award for the ninth time.
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In Yekaterinburg, the rules have significantly changed for a major business award. This concerns the E1.RU People«s Award, where winners of certain categories from 2024 and 2025 will this time become experts and will not participate in voting.
The winners of the People«s Award are chosen by residents of Yekaterinburg through public voting.
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What is the People«s Award? It is a business award founded by Yekaterinburg»s largest news portal — E1.RU. Since 2017, we have been giving awards to companies voted for by the city«s residents.
«This year, in several categories, companies that have won in previous years (those who have received the statuettes multiple times) cannot participate in the People«s Award and receive the status of experts — special guests. This is done to give an opportunity for active participation and a greater chance of winning to new businesses that have not yet been able to break through to the coveted statuette.
All companies that cannot be nominated for the award this year are repeated and deserved winners of previous years. These firms surely know what tools help attract loyal customers and win. And we, the editors of E1.RU, will definitely turn to them and share the secrets of success», says E1.RU editor-in-chief Marina Malkova.
What does this mean in practice? In 2026, past winners of certain categories will not be able to participate in the voting. This applies only to those who have repeatedly received statuettes.
List of expert companies: Grott Bar, «Svoya Kompaniya», «Biskvitny Dvor», «UGMK-Zdorovye», Bright Fit, «Yarkie Deti», «Narodny Barbershop Kuzma». In 2026, they do not participate in the voting, but become honorary guests of the award.
In 2026, we will invite the holders of these statuettes to the final ceremony as special guests, and also offer to participate in creating editorial materials. But they will not be able to appear on the list of finalists in 2026: this time we will not count votes for these companies.
List of 2026 categories
Let us recall the list of categories for the E1.RU People«s Award in 2026:
- «Holiday of the Year»
- «Medical Center of the Year»
- «Dentistry of the Year»
- «Made in the Urals»
- «Educational Center of the Year»
- «National Cuisine of the Year»
- «Beauty Salon and Cosmetology of the Year»
- «Sports Center of the Year»
- «Automobile Business of the Year»
- «Employer of the Year in Yekaterinburg»
- «Business of the Year» (editor«s choice)
E1.RU People«s Award schedule
The award takes place in several stages.
- From July 20 to August 17 — nominations are open: during this time, Yekaterinburg residents can propose companies they think are worthy of reaching the final.
- August 18 and 19 — the editors will sum up the first stage and form a shortlist: ten finalists will remain in each category.
- From August 19 to September 24 — voting will take place. It is during this period that E1.RU readers will choose the winners of the 2026 People«s Award.
- September 25 — the names of the best companies in Yekaterinburg will be announced. On this day, the award ceremony will take place at the Cosmos concert hall.
You can nominate companies that deserve the statuette and title of best business on the award website: e1.ru/award.
Also check out the full list of winners of the 2025 E1.RU People«s Award. We broadcast the award ceremony live. If you missed it, watch our report.
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