Ryazan Wraps Up the 1st National Festival of Creative Industry Schools «CIS Fest — 2025»
The 1st All-Russian Festival of Creative Industry Schools «CIS Fest — 2025» concluded in Ryazan with its final event held on Russia Day, June 12. Organized by the Creative Industries Federation (CIF), the Ryazan Regional Government, and Roskultproekt with support from the Ministry of Culture of Russia, the festival gathered 156 students and teachers from CIS schools across the country at the Ryazan Youth House.
Project partners included MTS Live, the Higher School of Economics Institute for Creative Industries Development, the Institute for Professional Education Development (IRPO), Digital IP Center, the dubbing studio «Team Shuttle 311-X», CHE Design School, and 2050.LAB.
The project was funded by a grant from the Russian Culture Foundation as part of the federal project «Family Values and Cultural Infrastructure» within the national «Family» initiative.
During the festival’s opening ceremony, Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova addressed the participants:
«This festival is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your talents. You will have a short time to tackle tasks that require creative thinking and strong teamwork. But remember — this is also a space for connection. Here, you will meet like-minded peers and exchange experiences. I wish every participant courage, creative energy, and confidence in your abilities!»
The organizers aimed to identify and support the most talented and gifted students from creative industry schools and to foster their creative activity.
«To date, there are already 93 creative industry schools across Russia, and the number keeps growing each year! This powerful movement unites talented teens nationwide, along with expanding platforms where you can realize your creative potential, learn to launch your own projects, and master skills for creative professions. I’m confident that the festival meetings will be very valuable, and you will discover a lot about turning ideas into real businesses», said Zhanna Alexeeva, State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Culture of Russia, welcoming the participants.
Ryazan’s Minister of Culture Elena Rokhlina noted the region’s pride and responsibility to host the inaugural festival of creative industry schools.
Only the very best gathered in Ryazan: from 70 CIS schools that applied, only 39 passed the selection round. For «CIS Fest — 2025», they were required to come prepared with a completed homework assignment — a mascot design for «Ryazan — New Year’s Capital 2026».
Following the competition, the jury selected one standout mascot from the 39 entries to be used in the official materials for New Year’s Ryazan 2025/2026. The winning team was from the Creative Industry School «Children’s Art School No. 6» in Maykop (Republic of Adygea). Their mascot, «Snezhanochka», creatively referenced the traditional wooden decorations found on Ryazan’s architectural monuments. Special prizes were awarded to the mascots «Ryazan Moose» from the CIS team in Novosibirsk and «Khokhul Vykhukhol», presented by the team from Togliatti.
The festival’s main competitive event was the idea-generation marathon, the «Creaton». The central theme of the festival was «Building Creative Teams», so all participants were divided into 13 mixed teams, each including members from three different cities’ schools. This setup encouraged them to practice creative problem-solving under time constraints while fostering communication and collaboration.
The Creaton challenge, announced at the opening of CIS Fest, was to develop a cultural brand for the Ryazan region, including a logo/symbol, print design, audio soundtrack, and a one-minute presentation video. The winning team consisted of participants from CIS schools in Voronezh, Kazan, and Rostov-on-Don. They based their concept on the delicate threads of Ryazan lace weaving into an elegant pattern that creates a visual image of Ryazan.
Many CIS teams received special awards from festival partners and the jury. For example, teams from Sovetsk, Krasnoyarsk, Balakovo, and a combined team from Vladivostok, Kemerovo, and Tula were honored by the Institute for Professional Education Development (IRPO) of the Ministry of Education of Russia. The teachers from these teams were granted opportunities to participate in the educational program «Creating Cross-Disciplinary Products in the Creative Industries» at the Meganom Academy of Creative Industries (Sudak, Republic of Crimea). Students received invitations to participate in the Federal Hackathon for creative product development among creative industry college students.
A team including participants from Blagoveshchensk, Novokuznetsk, and Khanty-Mansiysk received a special prize from the Creative Industries Federation (CIF): the opportunity to register trademarks for their projects.
One of the venues at CIS Fest was the «CIS Project Alley» — an area displaying printed posters featuring the best projects from the schools, where all participants could vote by placing like-stickers. At the end of the third day, all likes were tallied, and the winning project was «Theatrical Tarot» by the team from Vladivostok.
Over the course of the three-day intensive program, participants enhanced their skills through lectures, workshops, and masterclasses with experts from partner companies in the creative industries. For example, Igor M. Namakonov, CEO of the Creative Industries Federation (CIF), led a masterclass on team thinking and creativity management titled «How to Work Effectively in a Team and Generate Ideas». Andrey Alekseev, Marketing Director at MTS Live, shared insights on building and promoting a personal brand.
During the festival, participants learned how to create compelling presentations, package and promote creative products, monetize their creativity, and achieve success by learning from mistakes. Additionally, the attendees had the chance to explore Ryazan’s culture by visiting the local Kremlin and the Ryazan Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy (VDNH) on guided tours.
CIS Fest 2025 concluded with a creative gathering featuring a performance by musician Ivan Chebanov — an artist, songwriter, producer, participant of the TV project The Voice, the show Bogatyryskie Igry, finalist of the show Fantastika, co-founder of the music company Amply Music, and the Amply School for artists. Ivan shared his creative journey «From Zero to the Charts» and talked about the tools he uses to achieve his professional goals.
Summing up CIS Fest 2025, Igor M. Namakonov, CEO of Creative Industries Federation (CIF), emphasized the role of CIS schools in training talent for the creative economy:
«Today, CIS represents a federal system of pre-professional training for teenagers aged 12 to 17 in Russia’s creative industries. Students undergo a rigorous selection process and immediately immerse themselves in a real professional environment: working in cross-studio teams, solving relevant business and governmental challenges, and shaping the modern culture of their cities. This system allows us to confidently state that CIS schools have become an important link in the career path of creators, who then continue their education in creative industry colleges and specialized university faculties. Even now, CIS graduates actively join the ranks of professionals, helping to address the shortage of skilled personnel in the creative economy», highlighted Igor M. Namakonov.
Information partners: Industry publication «Universitetskaya Kniga», online outlet «Technosuveren», news agency «Obrazovanie.Press», digital media ArtMoscovia, internet newspaper «Ridus».
Photos courtesy of the Government of Ryazan Region: https://cloud.mail.ru/public/ovZZ/iHUm3Ndyr
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