Students in design win the international contest ‘MultiMedia-Fest’

The multimedia programme was developed by Ilia Borisko, Polina Muzychenko, first-year students in the master’s programme ‘Graphic Design’ at St Petersburg University, and Lada Petrochenkova, a University graduate. They took second place in the nomination ‘Animation and Video Mapping’.

In 2024, Lada Petrochenkova and Ilia Khandogin, students at St Petersburg University, also became laureates of the MultiMedia-Fest.

According to Polina Muzychenko, space has always been a source of inspiration for her. ‘The endless expanses and mysteries of space awaken in me the desire for research and creativity,’ the master’s student shared her impressions.

The student work was dedicated to memorable events related to space exploration: the 70th anniversary of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the feat of cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, who maintained the operation of the Mir orbital station in 1991 and 1992 during the collapse of the Soviet Union.

‘This is the first time we have developed an animated video in a format that is not standard for us,’ said Ilia Borisko. ‘Experiments with new techniques and the scale of the topic opened the way for us to unexpected artistic solutions.’

The jury particularly praised new design ideas, artistic and aesthetic presentation of the theme, originality in the choice of musical arrangement, subjects and technologies. The competition was huge. Highly professional works of students from leading art schools were presented for the contest. The students from the University could make a name for themselves and take prize places.

Contestants were asked to develop an original project on the theme of space in the science fiction genre using animation technology, 3D mapping, and interactive installations.

The final of the Multimedia Fest also featured works by St Petersburg University design students from China. Among them were the following: Tian Li, Hou Chuanze, Gao Siyu, Liu Yue, Peng Bo, Qing Qing, Junjie, and Luan Chenhao.

‘It is necessary to praise the skill and work of the students in the process of creating the works and during participation in the contest’, said Iliana Makhovikova, Assistant Professor in the Department of Design at St Petersburg University, commenting on the success of the project manager. ‘Creating dome multimedia works, including motion graphics, is a captivating and labour-intensive process, covering a professional approach and technologies, therefore the work created by the students moves from the category of educational to become professional.’

The organisers of the MultiMedia Fest contest are the St Petersburg Union of Designers, Planetarium No 1, and the Higher Art and Technical Institute. The goal of the contest is to establish a dialogue between designers and employers in the IT sector. The main objective of the project is to help young professionals get an internship in companies.

In June 2025, an open screening of the multimedia works of the contest winners will take place at Planetarium No 1 in St Petersburg.