​The expedition "Tyurikov plane. The return." won the Russian Geographical Sosciety Award in the nomination "Expedition in Russia". This award is a key one in the field of national geography, ecology, preservation and popularization of the natural, historical and cultural heritage of Russia.

The award was established in 2014 and is awarded every two years.

The awarding ceremony took place in the Kremlin. The award to the Chairman of the Krasnoyarsk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society Igor Spiridenko was personally presented by the President of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Geographical Society Vladimir Putin.

In total, in 2018 there were more than 540 applications from 76 regions of Russia and foreign countries.

The Krasnoyarsk project "Tyurikov plane. The return."  is a large-scale international expedition to evacuate a unique Douglas S-47 aircraft from the Taimyr tundra. This plane was delivered to the USSR from the United States during the Great Patriotic War within the Lend-Lease program over the ALSIB Air Route. In 1947, it made an emergency landing in the north of the Krasnoyarsk Region, 180 kilometers north of the village of Volochanka. The plane commander Maxim Tyurikov managed to save all the people aboard. Maxim Tyurikov and part of the crew left the plain in search of help and tragically died, while the remaining people managed to survive 3 weeks in the harsh conditions of the Far North and were finally rescued.

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As a result of the coordinated work of the expedition participants in 2016, the aircraft body was evacuated to Krasnoyarsk, and later, in 2017, the wings​ were transported. There have been no examples of such an operation in Russia before. It was led by Igor Spiridenko and among the key partners of the Russian Geographical Society were the Government of the Krasnoyarsk Regiony, the Ministry of Transport of the Krasnoyarsk Region, the airline AeroGeo, as well as the companies Norilsk Nickel, SUEK and Polyus Gold.

It is assumed that in future the aircraft Douglas S-47 "Tyurikov plane" will become one of the main exhibits of the "Park Museum of the North", which is planned to be created on Molokova Island in Krasnoyarsk.