Creativity takes the stage: First-ever DAFES AWARDS at Telling Stories festival

On May 24, the first-ever DAFES AWARDS ceremony took place in Moscow as part of the Telling Stories creative industries festival, organized in collaboration with the DAFES competition platform. The awards featured fourteen categories that brought together young creatives and industry veterans working at the forefront of design, art, and media.

The event also included the awards ceremony for HSE CREATIVE OPEN, a dedicated student track supported by the HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL that runs alongside the general DAFES categories. The DAFES AWARDS featured 14 categories, while HSE CREATIVE OPEN covered 20. Together, they span a broad range of creative fields — from media and game design to algorithmic music and jewelry design — highlighting a commitment to nurturing both traditional and innovative creative talents.

The categories covered a wide range of disciplines, including visual arts (illustration, concept art, visual series), interdisciplinary projects (video essays, educational courses, visual research), and tech-related fields such as algorithmic music and game design. Social and cultural initiatives, including local events, were also featured. Each category showcased a unique contribution to the creative industries, demonstrating how art and innovation intersect in unexpected and inspiring ways.

The awards ceremony was a landmark event for the creative community. Honors went to both established professionals and emerging creators whose work is already shaping the future of the industry.

A total of 35 companies partnered with the competition, supporting award categories and helping spotlight key areas of the creative industries. Their involvement reflects a growing interest among businesses in identifying and investing in creative talent at all stages of development.

The ceremony was hosted by Polina Lousheva, Director of International and Competition Programs at the HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL and Head of the HSE AWARDS Unit at the HSE Design Lab, along with Alexander Berger, Editor-in-Chief of the HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL.

The opening remarks were delivered by Arseny Meshcheryakov, Head of the HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL, art director, designer, and founder of the design bureau Agey Tomesh and the publishing house “WAM Books.”

We congratulate the winners and are excited to share their names and projects with you!

The DAFES AWARDS at the Telling Stories Festival represent an important step forward in the program’s development, creating a platform for dialogue between heritage and innovation in the creative industries.

Despite the scale of this year’s awards, we have only announced the results for some of the categories so far. Ahead lie nearly thirty more, ranging from Game Development and Motion Design to Fashion Design and Artificial Intelligence!

Submit your work by October 31 to have a chance to hear your name at the DAFES AWARDS ceremony in November 2025.

A standout moment at the event was the award ceremony for the competition Heritage and Innovation: A Dialogue Between Analog and Digital Photography. The prizes were presented by Andrey Bezukladnikov, founder and head of the Photographer.ru platform.

Additionally, the winners of the joint contest organized by Moskvich Mag and the HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL, titled People of the City, were honored. Awards were presented by Igor Shulinsky, journalist, writer, publisher of the online magazine Moskvich Mag, and a lecturer at the HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL, where he leads the Media and Design track and the Storytelling course.