'Battle of the Businesses' and 'The Vyshka' Win Best Student Project in Russia Awards

Battle of the Businesses organisers Maria Sanina and Leonid Labun (right)

Two HSE student projects have taken prizes at the All-Russian competition for communications projects Eventиада Awards 2015. The reality TV show Battle of the Businesses took first place for Best  Student Project while the online magazine The Вышка (The Vyshka) won third prize for Best Creative Project of the Year. Both projects were supported by the HSE Student  Initiative Fund.  

The Eventиада Awards have been holding competitions for student and corporate communications projects every year since 2011 and offer the biggest opportunity for leading companies in the creative industries and marketing communications to meet talented students who want to work in this sphere. The Association of Russian Managers (AMR), the Russian Association for Social Communications (RASO), the Russian Association of Marketing Services (RAMU) and other professional organisations are involved in organising the awards.   

This year there were 515 entries from 80 cities in Russia and Belarus. 122 projects from 38 cities made it to the shortlist. There were three stages of public presentations pitching the projects in Moscow. Two HSE projects made it to the final on 23rd October.

The Battle of the Businesses reality show, created by students from several HSE faculties, uses successful professionals as mentors and marketing, sales, legal and HR specialists for support and advice, to organise training for young people in business enterprise. 

We are very pleased the student projects the Student Initiative Fund chose to support did so well in a contest outside HSE

In the show, teams of competitors have just a few weeks to bring their business idea to life. The projects that generate the most profit get into the final. The highlights in the drama of getting these Battle of the Businesses startups on their feet are transmitted online to  spread the professional knowledge and life experience that students lack and gives courage to those who haven’t dared to start up their own business yet.   

‘We managed to create an environment which gave dozens of students the chance to take their first steps in business and earn some real money,’ says Leonid Labun, one of the Battleorganisers. ‘I’m particularly proud that three businesses which were born out of our project are working successfully today and growing.’

‘We were totally amazed to discover that people watch our show, not just in Moscow but in far away regions of Russia,’ adds Maria Sanina the other organiser,  ‘and quite a large proportion of our viewers have not been students for years. The first series - ‘Casting’ - was in March 2015 and by the end of the season we had viewers in 52 cities around the country.’

While 13 students worked on the first season on Battle,more than80 students in various faculties are involved with The Вышка.  It is a lifestyle format publication for HSE students and alumni focussing on realising your goals in your personal and professional life.

‘Journalism is a skill, a talent and a vocation,’ says Maria Kristalinskaya, one of the organisers of the magazine. ‘I think when we started, a lot of us, including me had a rather romantic idea of the profession. But studying at the Faculty of Communications, Media and Design isn’t that simple. We had good practical courses. For example Oleg Dmitriev taught us how to structure a video. I’ll never forget conversations with my supervisor Anna Kachkayeva. All those lessons prepared us very well. Although we learnt a lot of our skills in the practicals, making our own content. I think we got the hang of SMM quite well although we were feeling our way in the dark, no one taught us how to use it but now we know how to find the knowledge we need.’

‘Judging by how these projects are gathering speed and growing in popularity, says Tatyana Dubova, Director of Student and Alumni Affairs, ‘I’m sure this won’t be our last triumph at the Eventиада Awards. We are very pleased the student projects the Student Initiative Fund chose to support did so well in a contest outside HSE. It shows that our internal contest for funding is fulfilling its purpose of helping students to design, pitch and bring good ideas to life.’