Sofia Lapina, Ilya Mochalov, Elizaveta Devyatykh, and Ksenia Isakova at the awards ceremony
Elizaveta Devyatykh, a third-year student at the Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, has won the annual all-Russian competition for the Ilya Mochalov Scholarship. Elizaveta is majoring in Landscape Architecture. The award ceremony took place on the green roof of the landscape architecture firm Ilya Mochalov & Partners in Moscow.
During the 2026/2027 academic year, the student will receive a monthly scholarship of 30,000 rubles. Finalist diplomas were also awarded to SPbGASU student Ksenia Isakova and Kazan State University of Architecture and Engineering student Sofia Lapina.
The competition took place for the third time in 2026. The organizers received 122 entries from students across various Russian cities, 55 of which were selected for further consideration. Evaluation criteria included project quality, engagement with the site's context, depth of professional thinking, and the participants' motivation and readiness for professional development.
Elizaveta’s projects are united by a focus on urban areas whose potential often goes unnoticed. In her work, the parking lot in front of St Petersburg’s Kirov Palace of Culture is transformed into a public space, the waterfront on Krestovsky Island becomes a route featuring scenic viewpoints, and a ravine in the historic center of Kirov becomes part of the city’s green network.
One of the projects focuses on creating an industrial park-museum on the site of a former warehouse zone. Its concept is based on the natural regeneration of the area and phytoremediation—cleaning the soil using plants. The site's history and ecological processes become part of the future public space.
"Elizaveta’s projects demonstrate a mature approach to the site. She has the ability to see value where others perceive only a problem—be it a ravine, a former parking lot, a warehouse zone, or a transit space. Moreover, her solutions go beyond mere surface-level landscaping; each one is grounded in an analysis of the location, its history, natural processes, and the needs of the people," noted Ilya Mochalov, founder and CEO of Ilya Mochalov & Partners.
"Winning the competition is very significant for me. I see it as confirmation that I am moving in the right professional direction. It has been a great source of motivation for me to continue developing in this field," said Elizaveta Devyatykh.
Elizaveta also noted that the competition provided an opportunity to meet other participants and industry professionals. She advises students planning to take part in similar competitions to carefully study the requirements and the winning entries from previous years, as well as to learn how to present their projects.
"It is important to be able not only to execute a project well but also to speak about it convincingly. The ability to present oneself and one’s work is a crucial professional skill that such competitions help to develop," said the winner.
The work by Ksenia Isakova—an SPbGASU student who was also among the project’s finalists—focuses on the role of the landscape in preserving memory, supporting individuals, and restoring the connection with nature. Her projects include the "Echo of Eras" concept, the redevelopment of the station square in Peterhof, and designs for spaces tailored to the elderly people and people with limited mobility.
"The competition contributes significantly to professional advancement and offers the opportunity for an internship," Ksenia noted.
The Ilya Mochalov Scholarship was established to support senior-year students specializing in architecture, landscape architecture, and architectural environment design. The competition is held with the support of the Altrein brand and the Moscow Association of Landscape Architects (ROO MOLA).