The My Snow Leopard international wildlife festival, which opened on March 1, 2013, is being organised by the Sayano-Shushensky and Khakassky nature reserves with the support of the Russian Geographical Society and the Country of Wildlife Sanctuaries national foundation. The main theme of the festival is the snow leopard's environment, including the unique features of their natural habitats and the interaction of this rare species with the environment.

On May 7 the festival organising committee held its latest meeting in the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve. The meeting, which was attended by staff from the reserve and members of the Shushensky District administration, including leaders of culture, education and media institutions, focused on summarising the results of the preliminary stage of the festival and long-range planning for its final events.

According to the organisers, more than 500 people have already taken part in the preliminary phase of the festival. They have used their creativity and participation in environmental campaigns to contribute to the formation of an active life philosophy on the subject of the preservation and study of rare species of plants and animals. The main character of most of the competition entries was the snow leopard. Festival participants are composing songs and poems about them, are writing prose compositions about the rare animal, sending in drawings and posters and even taking video clips and making cartoons about the snow leopard. Among the entries submitted, there are entries from theatre and dance groups, as well as research abstracts on ways of solving urgent environmental problems.

The creators of the best works in each category will meet in the final events of the festival in Shushensky, at the environmental forum, which the organising committee has decided to hold as a week-long marathon, with the final on World Environment Day on June 5. Everyone who submitted an entry to the panel of judges will receive an international festival diploma, with prizes and gifts awarded to the winners.