“To Encourage the Study of the Fatherland...”: From the History of the Establishment of the Zhukov Prize by the Russian Geographical Society (1847–1861)

The article reconstructs the history of the Russian Geographical Society’s Zhukov Prize
(1847–1861), the first dedicated award for statistical research in Russia. Drawing upon a
wide range of published sources and archival materials, it traces the development of legal
framework for awarding the prize and scholarly review standards. The study clarifies the
award periodicity and the list of the laureates. An analysis of prize-winning works and the
reviews prepared by the Zhukov Prize Commission reveals the core evaluation criteria–novelty of sources, critical processing of data, and topical relevance. It is concluded
that the Zhukov Prize helped to promote advanced statistical methodology in Russia and
to shift from the compilatory descriptions of individual regions to sector-based analytical
studies.