April 1st through May 29th, the Chelyabinsk Region hosted the “Science Is Beautiful” competition, organized by the regional Ministry of Education and Science with the support from the “Regional Infrastructure of Education and Science” Autonomous Non-Profit Organization (RION). The event was held as part of the Decade of Science and Technology. This year’s competition set an all-time record of participation, receiving 421 submissions—more than twice as many as last season. Nine representatives of South Ural State University became winners and prize-winners of the competition.
The competition was launched on April 1st. School pupils, university students, researchers, and other interested participants submitted applications and works until April 30th. Next, the expert committee of RION reviewed the submissions for compliance with the competition requirements, while a jury evaluated the works against a ten-point scale May 7th and May 15th. The jury included 24 experts from leading universities of the South Ural region, including SUSU, Chelyabinsk State University, Chelyabinsk State Institute of Culture, International Institute of Design and Service (MIDiS), South Ural State Humanitarian and Pedagogical University, as well as representatives of the Movement of the First project. The awards ceremony for winners and prize-winners took place on May 28th.
“The nearly two-and-a-half-fold increase in the number of participants demonstrates that efforts to promote science among young people are truly effective,” commented Vitaly Litke, Minister of Education and Science of the Chelyabinsk Region. “The value of this competition is in its combination of research and creativity. Participants dedicate their projects to real scientists from the region, presenting science as a part of everyday life while strengthening the connection between researchers’ work and the real economy. Young people come to understand the importance of scientific research and, through their projects, reveal the beauty of science to others.”
In the “Essay” category for researchers and other participants, the first place was awarded to Veronika Beliakova, senior lecturer at the Department of Electronic Computing Machines, for her work “The Science I Share”. The second place went to a SUSU legal consultant Evgeniia Serova for her essay on “The Feasibility of Establishing an Interuniversity Campus in the Chelyabinsk Region”. The third place was awarded to Evgeniia Lutokhina, youth affairs specialist at the SUSU Institute of Sport, Tourism and Service, for her work on “Developing the Scientific Potential of School Students through Student Mentorship”.
In the “Photography” category, the first place was awarded to Nataliia Shaburova, Associate Professor at the Department of Materials Science, Physical and Chemical Properties of Materials, for her work on “The Magnificent High Entropy Alloy”. The second place went to Nataliia Zhivulina, Engineer at the SUSU Research Institute for Non-conventional Materials and Resource-Saving Technologies, for her work on “Creating a Diversity of Ferrite Shapes and Colours”. The third place was awarded to Andrei Shunailov, specialist at the Department of Metallurgy, for “The Birth and Death of an Acetate Tree”.
In the “Infographics” category, the first place was won by Anna Vinnikova, Head of the SUSU Office of Branding and Advertising, for her project on “A Vector for Development: Bringing Universities Together”. The second place went to Olesia Uriadova, lecturer at the Department of Economics and Finance, for her “Factors of Financial Literacy: Regional Aspect”.
In addition, in the “Photography” category among university and vocational college students, the first place was awarded to SUSU student Polina Eliseeva for her work on “The Road to the Future.”
“My task as a designer was to translate an existing project into the language of visual metaphor,” explained Anna Vinnikova, winner in the “Infographics” category. “Information about such major projects is often presented through dry statistics, master plan diagrams, or bureaucratic reports. I wanted to show that science exists not only in formulas and instruments, but also in the way spaces are designed for it. I simply found a way to tell that story in a visually appealing and accessible form. I wanted anyone who would look at the banner to say: “Wow, everything has been thought through so carefully—and it is truly beautiful”.”
In total, SUSU representatives earned 9 awards. Winners and prize-winners received certificates from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Chelyabinsk Region. The best competition works will be published in the information resources of RION.