The award maintains classical literature traditions by commemorating the authors of outstanding works and also supports contemporary literarure by noting talented writers.

[citation needed] The Readers' Choice winner is awarded with a theme trip to South Korea, presented by Samsung.

[3] In October 2023, the jury announced the winners of the 21st awards,[4] renaming Event to Personality of the Year, and adding a category for Missed Masterpiece, meaning a work that flew under Russian critics' radar until a recent translation made it more notable.

A category called "Youth", which aims to highlight works targeting young adults, has been added.

Yasnaya Polyana jury members include famous Russian writers, literary critics and public figures.