Recently, Kyiv came alive with the rhythms of children’s music as the capital hosted the third HumanKind Fest children’s music festival, initiated by Miss Universe Ukraine 2023 and founder of the Angelina Usanova Foundation, Angelina Usanova. Alongside fostering children’s musical development, the festival has grown into a well-established community that brings together young artists, their families, and mentors around not only music, but also an eco-conscious and humanistic mission. Traditionally, the festival includes educational initiatives focused on ecology and humanitarian values, such as the collection of LED products for safe disposal and activities aimed at shaping environmental awareness and social responsibility.
HumanKind Fest 3.0: How It Happened
This year, finalists aged 10 to 14 took to the stage of the Caribbean Club, presenting their own interpretations of popular international and Ukrainian New Year hits, including “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Jingle Bells,” “All I Want for Christmas,” and other legendary compositions. As is customary at HumanKind Fest, the young singers performed accompanied by a live band, giving them the opportunity to truly experience the stage and the atmosphere of a professional show business performance.
The laureates of HumanKind Fest 3.0 were Veronika Kogan, Alisa Izmailova, Veronika Dyrda, Ivanna Andrushko, Adel Kovalchuk, Solomiia Kucherenko, Daryna Velychko, Liza Dyshuk, Olesia Yunik, Kateryna Yaiuk, and Angelina Hlohus. All finalists were awarded laureate trophies and received valuable prizes.
The Grand Prix of HumanKind Fest 3.0 was won by Adel Kovalchuk, who performed the song “Malanka.” As per tradition, the winner receives an original song created by professional songwriters and composers, along with a high-quality studio recording of this original composition written especially for the winner. This year, the festival’s main award was presented by Pavlo Shylko, co-founder of the national music award YUNA and a producer, who congratulated the young talents and wished them further creative success.
The winner of HumanKind Fest 2.0, Kateryna Popovych, presented for the first time the song “Sun” (“Sontse”) – a composition created for her as the main prize for winning the Grand Prix of the festival in the summer of 2025. Songwriting, music production, and a professional studio recording constitute the key award of HumanKind Fest. The composition for Kateryna was created by renowned Ukrainian musicians Ivan Rozin and Vasyl Lohai, who also ensured its high-quality studio recording.
A special symbolic moment for the festival was the first public performance of the HumanKind Fest anthem – the song “HumanKind.” This original composition from Angelina Usanova’s repertoire was performed together by the festival finalists and the winner of HumanKind Fest 2.0, Kateryna Popovych. This musical gesture became an artistic embodiment of the festival’s core values – unity, humanity, and shared responsibility.
In addition to solo vocal performances, children also showcased their instrumental talents at the festival. Alisa Titomyr performed Antonio Vivaldi’s “Storm” on the violin, while Rodion Kaliuzhnyi played “Just the Two of Us” on the saxophone.
Invited artists also performed at the festival, including the VOLT band, Kateryna Ostapchuk, and Danylo Ostapchuk. Daria Minieieva also took the stage with the song “Happy New Year,” gifting the audience a festive mood and unforgettable emotions.
The jury of this year’s festival consisted of leading experts from the Ukrainian music scene: Pavlo Shylko – co-founder of the national music award YUNA, TV and radio host, co-author of Eurovision songs, and ambassador of the “Save the End” program; Daria Minieieva – songwriter, vocal coach, music producer, and participant of The Voice of Ukraine; Kseniia Kozhevnikova – vocal trainer, songwriter, and singer; Valentyn Korniienko – music editor at Radio Pyatnytsia and NRJ Radio; Halyna Holubieva – senior lecturer of the highest qualification category at the Department of Pop Singing of the Kyiv Municipal Academy of Circus and Variety Arts, and participant of X-Factor, Ukraine’s Got Talent, You Are a Star, and Everyone Sings; Oleksii Dontsov – public and cultural figure, creator of MUZVAR; REYFO – sound producer and sound designer; and Ihor Panasov – Director of Development of the YUNA Music Awards and co-founder of the public organization UAniverse.
All festival participants received VIP tickets from the organizers to a range of upcoming events, including the music evening “Battle of Names,” the Inside the Music brunch by Pavlo Shylko, “Christmas Ice Show with ROXOLANA,” a concert by the band Bez Obmezhen, Magic Christmas Symphony, the show “Yevhen Khmara. Two Worlds,” the concert “Oleh Skrypka – NAONI. Grand Christmas Concert ‘Shchedryk!’”, as well as the national YUNA Music Awards ceremony.
Gifts for the children, namely cosmetic sets, were provided by the company Unix.
Environmental Responsibility and the Humanitarian Mission of the Festival
The festival is environmentally responsible, continuing the sustainability mission of the Angelina Usanova Foundation. During rehearsals and on the day of the event, the foundation’s team, together with festival participants, collected 25 kg of used batteries for safe disposal, continuing last year’s tradition when more than 30 kg were collected.
Within the framework of the Foundation’s educational platform on ecology and humanitarian values, and in cooperation with UAnimals – the foundation’s permanent partner in the field of animal welfare – an initiative was implemented aimed at practically engaging children in humanistic values through volunteering. As part of this initiative, HumanKind Fest finalists visited the Patron Pet Center shelter, where they assisted volunteers with daily tasks: cleaning the territory, walking dogs, and directly engaging in the life of the shelter, thus forming personal experience of care and responsibility. The finalists also delivered humanitarian aid to the Patron Pet Center from the Angelina Usanova Foundation, including shoe covers, gloves for cleaning after animals, rolls of waste bags for walks, a mop and mop wipes, medications, and a bag of food for large dogs.
This initiative became part of the foundation’s humanistic mission and was aimed at teaching children responsible attitudes toward animals, supporting shelters, and raising awareness about the importance of rescuing animals from frontline territories.
UAnimals is a Ukrainian animal protection organization working in the field of animal and environmental protection. It evacuates animals from frontline zones, conducts veterinary missions, provides treatment and support to shelters, develops volunteer and educational programs, and represents Ukraine in international campaigns to protect nature.
From the stage of HumanKind Fest, Olha Chevhaniuk, Head of Strategic Initiatives at UAnimals, spoke about the organization’s activities and shared current needs necessary for implementing animal rescue programs. As part of the festival, a fundraising campaign was held to equip enclosures and shelters. She also noted that HumanKind Fest creates a space for showcasing talents while simultaneously highlighting important social issues, expressing gratitude to the Angelina Usanova Foundation for its continued support.
“With the Angelina Usanova Foundation, we have already implemented a number of volunteer initiatives, including organizing a zoo-award for animal rights activists from across Ukraine, supporting volunteers who rescue animals from frontline territories. Our team continues to evacuate animals, provide humanitarian aid, treat and vaccinate them. In addition to direct rescue efforts, we implement children’s projects, engaging children, youth, and educators in humane initiatives – from visiting shelters to systemic changes, including within school education,” Olha Chevhaniuk noted.
Festival Organization and Team
The festival was organized on the initiative of Angelina Usanova – singer, songwriter, titleholder of Miss Universe Ukraine 2023 and Miss Eco International 2024, and Youth Goodwill Ambassador. Her foundation, the Angelina Usanova Foundation, supports the creative development of children, assists vulnerable population groups, internally displaced persons, children affected by war, and implements environmental projects.
“I am happy that we managed to hold the third children’s festival during such a challenging time for Ukraine. For children, this is truly an important event and a step in their creative journey. This year, we once again paid special attention to environmental education and kindness toward animals, and I am sincerely grateful to UAnimals for their partnership and participation in the festival. Music unites — and once again we were reminded of how important it is to unite around the values of life, nature, and animal protection,” said Angelina Usanova.
The permanent organizers of the festival are the team of the Ukrainian National Music Award YUNA, led by producer Pavlo Shylko, as well as co-producer of the festival Anna Dianova – a strategist and creative producer of music and charitable projects.
“HumanKind Fest is a living mission of the Angelina Usanova Foundation aimed at supporting talented children and creating a space for unlocking their potential. For Angelina Usanova and the entire team, it is fundamentally important that every child on this stage receives not only applause, but also real opportunities for development and faith in themselves. We thank the permanent organizers and producers of the festival, the jury, partners, and the entire team, as well as our participants – it is you who fill HumanKind Fest with energy and meaning. Congratulations to the Grand Prix winner of HumanKind Fest 3.0, Adel Kovalchuk, who has a great and bright creative path ahead. It is for moments like these that we continue this work,” said Anna Dianova Chirakh.
.
