The Central House of Architects in Moscow hosted a ceremony to award the winners and prize winners of the All-Russian Landscape Architecture Projects Contest for the A. T. Bolotov Scholarship. The project by fourth-year student of the SPbGASU Department of Landscape Architecture Maria Baran was recognized as the best.

The contest is organized by the Association of Landscape Architects of Russia (ALAROS) and Bugaev Parks & Gardens, a premium brand in the field of landscape architecture that creates both private and corporate gardens. The company was recognized as the "Best Landscape Company" according to the Russian National Landscape Architecture Award. The contest is aimed at identifying and supporting talented aspiring landscape architects and their professional growth. It is attended by final-year bachelor's and master's students of specialized faculties of Russian universities.

This year, the contestants had to design a small garden on a private property. Speaking about her project, Maria Baran emphasizes: it is not pretentious or overly rich, it uses simple design solutions that complement and reveal the overall concept. The author believes that when designing a private garden, you need to make the most practical and comfortable space, without excess. Her project is based on a combination of a regular style (the front entrance area) and a landscape style (the garden behind the house). Accents in the form of sculptures and contrasting flowering plants are made. The student added that one of the main ideas of the project was to create functional zones with different options for their use, so there are no clear boundaries in the designed space.

The winner received the right to receive a monthly scholarship of 50 thousand rubles and an internship at Bugaev Parks&Gardens.

"The contest gives you the opportunity to evaluate your skills and prove yourself at a professional level. This is a good chance to apply the knowledge you gained at the university in practice. For me, the competition became a growth point, a step towards professional development. First of all, my determination helped me to win. During the process of completing the task, doubts often crept in, I wanted to give up everything and spend my time differently. But I understood that it was necessary to overcome internal conflicts and achieve the intended goals. Faith in my own strengths and project solutions really helped. But this would not have happened without the support of my family, friends and the help of teachers," says Maria.

She is convinced that the internship will give her confidence in her professional choice. She wants to learn a lot of new things, gain practical skills and theoretical knowledge, learn how to apply them and succeed in the profession.

As the curator of the participants, Associate Professor Irina Shkolnikova noted, students of the Department of Landscape Architecture Ekaterina Romanova, Mikhail Ambartsumov, Olesya Krivoruchko, Vladislava Semyashkina also took part in the contest. They were included in the short list of the competition - the final list of works vying for prizes.