The initiator and organizer of the competition is the Research and Education Center "Russian as a Foreign Language" of the Higher School of Social Sciences, Humanities and International Communication of NArFU.
The project aims to create a positive image of Russia abroad, reveal the tourism potential of the country's cities, and promote Russian culture in intercultural communication. The organizers have set themselves an ambitious goal: through the creativity and sincere perspective of international students, to showcase the uniqueness and diversity of Russian regions.
Who can participate?
International students and learners of preparatory faculties/departments of Russian universities enrolled in full-time study are invited to take part in the tournament.
Participants can submit both individual and collective works, completed independently.
Participation in the tournament is free.
Nominations and format
The "Magic Carpet" tournament is a creative competition in which international students create short videos about Russia. The competition is held in five original categories, named in the spirit of Russian fairy tales:
Category Name - Video Topic
- "Samogudy Gusli" - Traditional local (city, etc.) holidays
- "Sword of Kladenets" - Preserving the memory of the military valor of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War in Russian cities
- "Wonderful Casket" - Unusual city sights
- "Firebird" - Unique nature of a city or region
- "Running Boots" - A 3-minute video tour of a city
Timeline and procedure
The tournament takes place in two stages:
- First stage (submission of applications) – from April 20 to June 15, 2026. Participants fill out an application (see Appendix No. 1) and include a link to an open resource where the video, created in accordance with the requirements for competition materials, is posted.
- Second stage (evaluation of works) – an expert committee evaluates the videos according to approved criteria and determines the winners in each category.
Documents for participation
Appendices to the competition (application form, consent to the processing and distribution of personal data)
We invite international students of Russian universities to embark on an exciting journey across Russia with the "Magic Carpet" and tell the whole country about their discoveries!