Presentation of the new season of the All-Russian competition "My Profession is IT" held at the National Centre RUSSIA
On July 16, the new season of the All-Russian competition "My Profession is IT," part of the presidential platform "Russia – Land of Opportunity," was presented at the "Space of Opportunities" in the National Centre RUSSIA. The project aims to identify, develop and support talented and promising specialists in the creation of products and services using information technology. Any Russian resident aged 12 and older can take part in the competition by simply submitting an application on the website.
The main goals of the "My Profession is IT" competition are to popularise professions in the field of information technology, to help schoolchildren, students and young specialists develop relevant skills, and to form and support an active and talented IT youth community. In 2025, the "My Profession is IT" competition became part of the range of projects of the presidential platform "Russia – Land of Opportunity."
"This season of the 'My Profession is IT' competition is expected to attract more than 25,000 participants. They will have the chance to take educational courses in three areas: design, development, and management. Participants will also be able to solve real-world tasks provided by the project's partners. We are grateful to all our partners who have already joined the project, and of course to every participant — thank you for choosing to grow and to make our country better. The participants' stories are proof of how important it is not to give up and to believe in what you do. Some take part in the competition year after year without becoming winners, yet by meeting equally passionate peers, they improve their skills, gain new knowledge, build teams, and eventually reach their goals and win. Others find partners and investors for their own projects through the competition. This opens up new opportunities for personal development and for strengthening their teams," said Gennady Guryanov, First Deputy Director General of the presidential platform "Russia – Land of Opportunity."
Young people interested in the IT field are invited to take part in the competition: designers, developers, testers, analysts, and others. The organisers have defined two main tracks for the competition: "School Students" — for teams of three people aged 12 to 18, and "Specialists" — for teams of three to five people made up of college and university students, as well as working professionals aged 16 and over.
"Thanks to the support of the Government and personally of the President of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, our competition has reached a new level. Last year, we had the honour of presenting it to the Head of State in Yakutsk. Following his visit to Yakutia, Vladimir Vladimirovich recommended that the Government scale up our initiative. I’m very glad that the competition is now part of the 'Russia – Land of Opportunity' platform, which brings together personnel, social, and educational projects from across the country. This will open up new horizons for our project and new opportunities for participants. As an All-Russian competition supported by the presidential platform 'Russia – Land of Opportunity,' it will help develop the creative and intellectual potential of an even greater number of schoolchildren and students, as well as support new technological initiatives. I am confident that in the near future they will lead the country’s digital development and play a key role in achieving technological sovereignty," added Anatoly Semyonov, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).
He reminded that more than ten years ago, the IT sector began to actively develop in Yakutia, and one of the key objectives in the region was to build human resources. In 2016, the first regional career guidance competition "My Profession is IT" was held to help train qualified and creative IT specialists.
Since then, the project has gone through an impressive transformation — from a local initiative launched by a group of enthusiasts, it has become a large-scale All-Russian competition.
According to Anatoly Semyonov, over the years the competition has reached 40,000 participants from 30 regions of the country. It actively engages the younger generation in the world of information technology and has become a true springboard into life for many of them. The knowledge and practical experience gained during the competition help participants choose a future profession and find their calling. Many of them later enrolled in specialised universities, received a high-quality education and found employment in leading IT companies.
After registration, participants will go through an educational course in three areas: design, development, and management. They will also complete a test to determine their level of relevant competencies. Based on the results of the training and testing, participants who show the highest scores will have the opportunity to advance to in-person regional stages, where they will work in teams to solve real-world case studies provided by government and business representatives, and receive support from experienced IT experts.
The teams will be tasked with developing solution prototypes for real business cases provided by the competition's partners — typically within 48 hours. The main focus of the case assignments will be on the development of domestic software and priority sectors using modern IT technologies such as artificial intelligence, GIS, cybersecurity and others. The in-person hackathon offers participants a unique chance to interact directly with experts, find mentors and build practical skills in an intensive format. This approach not only helps participants solve the cases but also supports professional growth and networking.
The strongest teams from the regional stages will be invited to take part in the district finals, which will be held in the autumn of 2025 across five federal districts.
"The competition 'My Profession is IT', part of the presidential platform 'Russia – Land of Opportunity,' offers a truly unique chance for young people to unlock their talents, explore current areas of information technology, and determine their path within the professions of the future. By taking part in the competition, young people will not only demonstrate their knowledge and skills but also gain valuable experience, meet industry professionals and learn about the prospects for the development of the IT sector. In addition, 'My Profession is IT' supports career guidance, motivates ongoing learning, and helps develop technical skills. It’s an excellent starting point for young talents who want to find their calling in the fast-growing and dynamic world of information technology — for the benefit of our country," said Nadezhda Surova, Director of the Centre of Competence for the Digital Economy.
As part of the event, a formal signing ceremony was held for a cooperation agreement between the All-Russian competition "My Profession is IT" of the presidential platform "Russia – Land of Opportunity" and Patrice Lumumba Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN). The document was signed by Gennady Guryanov, First Deputy Director General of the presidential platform "Russia – Land of Opportunity," and Yulia Ebzeyeva, First Vice-Rector – Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of RUDN. The agreement involves engaging university experts in the regional stages of the competition and providing methodological support. The university may also act as a case provider.
Another cooperation agreement was signed between the All-Russian competition "My Profession is IT" of the presidential platform "Russia – Land of Opportunity" and the Russian Federation of Competitive Programming. This agreement is aimed at the development and popularisation of competitive programming.
The agreement was signed by Michil Struchkov, Head of the All-Russian competition "My Profession is IT" of the presidential platform "Russia – Land of Opportunity", and Alexander Roslyakov, Executive Director of the Russian Federation of Competitive Programming.
"This season, 'My Profession is IT' became part of the range of projects of the presidential platform 'Russia – Land of Opportunity' — the competition is reaching a new level and will cover all regions of the country. Even more young people will now have the chance to showcase their talents, develop their skills and bring their ideas to life. Today, this competition is not just about choosing a profession. It is a community of young talents who are already helping build the technological future with their ideas and projects. This is where Russia’s future IT leaders are born. To scale these changes, we invite regions, teams and everyone working with schoolchildren and young people to join us. Together, we will create opportunities for the younger generation in the regions to become part of the national IT community!" said Michil Struchkov, Head of the All-Russian competition "My Profession is IT" of the presidential platform "Russia – Land of Opportunity."
The competition serves as a driver for building and developing a regional IT ecosystem and opens the door to the digital world for young people. It helps regions improve the monitoring of IT competence levels and provides an up-to-date assessment of the state of IT education. It also stimulates the development of startups and technological entrepreneurship within the regions. In addition, it helps form a regional team with the official status of a competition operator, including a pool of organisers, experts, mentors and participants.
"'My Profession is IT' is one of our priority projects and a genuinely promising platform for young IT talents. We were proud to host the final of the All-Russian competition at the Rostec Arena in Kaliningrad, where 28 teams spent three days working on five real-world business cases. It was large-scale, engaging and inspiring — a true marathon of achievement and team spirit. More importantly, we’re already seeing continued collaboration: teams are being offered internships, IT companies are getting fresh ideas, and young participants have the chance to apply their knowledge in practice. We see this competition not just as an event, but as a long-term investment in the future of Russia’s digital sector. And of course, we are ready to support its development at all levels!" said Yulia Skabitskaya, Regional Operator of the competition "My Profession is IT" in the Kaliningrad Region and Director of the ANO "Digital Development."
The "My Profession is IT" project team is currently working actively to bring in regional operators from across the country and invites representatives from all regions to join the new season of the competition. An educational programme will be organised for all participating regions. The first stage will take place online, followed by in-person training at the Senezh Management Workshop of the presidential platform "Russia – Land of Opportunity."
During the event marking the launch of the new season of the "My Profession is IT" competition, Yegor Orel, First Deputy Director of the Project Office of the Strategic Agency for the Support and Development of AI Projects of the Skolkovo Foundation, gave a talk. He spoke about machine learning methods, GIFs, and how ChatGPT works. Graduates from previous seasons of the competition shared their experiences and spoke about how the competition influenced their professional paths.
The "My Profession is IT" competition of the presidential platform "Russia – Land of Opportunity" is included in the official list of academic competitions and intellectual contests for the 2024/25 academic year in the field of "Science and Education." Participation in such events helps schoolchildren develop creative, scientific, and intellectual abilities. Winning or taking part in the competition can provide extra points when applying to certain universities.
The All-Russian competition "My Profession is IT" is implemented within the framework of the federal project "Russia – Land of Opportunity" of the national project "Youth and Children."
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