Competition for the creation of visual and multimedia content for a project
About the project:
More than a hundred years ago, Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck created the image of the Blue Bird, which became a symbol of dreams, and K. S. Stanislavsky first staged this fairy tale at the Moscow Art Theatre. «Factory smoke hides the beauty of the world from us… and stucco ceilings separate us from the sky and stars,» the director said. Today, we invite you to continue this story — to bring the fairy tale to the streets of Moscow.
«The Blue Bird» is not just an alternative to modern RPGs, shooters, and walking simulators, but a unique format of a quest-journey through the city center, immersing participants in the history of the Moscow Art Theatre and transforming the city into a living stage. Participants walk through historic neighborhoods in search of small figurines of the play’s characters hidden at iconic locations, through which they discover the theatrical heritage and architecture of the district. The route combines exploration, gameplay, and immersion in a cultural context — where every turn can become part of the narrative.
The Moscow Art Theatre museum and HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL are looking for authors, designers, urbanists, scriptwriters, and researchers to help refine and launch this project. Develop the visual style of the figurines, propose a search mechanic, create a digital layer for the route, or devise a new format for interacting with the urban environment.
Join us to connect theater, urbanism, and modern technology. Your ideas will help thousands of people find their own «Blue Bird» — both literally and as inspiration for new projects.
The tasks of the project:
— Creation of multimedia game content based on the concept of M. Maeterlinck’s «The Blue Bird»;
— Development and implementation of this product in the central district of Moscow;
— Attracting a wide audience to this project.
About the MAT museum
The Moscow Art Theatre museum was founded in 1923, the year of the theater’s 25th anniversary, by K. S. Stanislavsky and Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko. Today, the museum’s collection exceeds 340,000 items, including theatrical relics, costumes of outstanding actors from different eras, and set design sketches by world-renowned artists such as M. Dobuzhinsky, A. Ya. Golovin, A. N. Benois, B. M. Kustodiev, and others. The Moscow Art Theatre Museum also houses the largest collection of items belonging to M. A. Bulgakov.
The Moscow Art Theatre Museum includes three venues: the Permanent Exhibition in Kamergersky Lane, the K. S. Stanislavsky House-Museum, and the Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko Apartment-Museum. The museum regularly hosts thematic exhibitions dedicated to actors, directors, and other figures who have contributed to the history and development of the Moscow Art Theatre. The museum also hosts play readings, performances, concerts, and creative meetings.
The task of the competition
- Character Visualization
Develop visual images for at least 3–5 key characters from the list of heroes from the fairy tale «The Blue Bird». These images/concepts will later be used to create and place figurines in central Moscow at locations connected with the activities of the Moscow Art Theatre (MAT).
- Development of Character Concept (Backstory)
For each chosen character, create a short backstory. The description should reveal:
— the character’s connection to the history of the Moscow Art Theatre or a specific location in central Moscow; — a figurative characterization of the hero, reflecting their role in the fairy tale and resonating with the spirit of the theatrical place; — an artistic justification for choosing this particular character for that location.
- Determining Locations and Developing the Route
Identify and provide a brief justification for the placement of each chosen character in central Moscow, taking into account their connection to the history of the Moscow Art Theatre (see the list of mandatory route points).
Mandatory sites to be included in the project route:
— The Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre building; — The MAT Artists' House (Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko Apartment-Museum); — The K. S. Stanislavsky House-Museum; — The Gorky Moscow Art Theatre building.
Requirements to projects
➤ Fully developed but unimplemented project concepts that include visualizations are eligible for the competition.
➤ There are no restrictions on genre, format, or artistic medium. Individual works are not accepted: only series or cycles.
➤ The project must be submitted to the competition in the form of a presentation. The project presentation must include the project concept. The presentation should provide a clear understanding of the project’s external visualization, its parts, structure, and the materials used.
➤ Requirements for the content of the project presentation: — Title of the work; — Concept description (no more than 1000 characters); — At least 15 images; — Slides with close-ups (details) that allow evaluation of the project’s nuances are encouraged.
➤ Submissions must be in Russian.
➤ There is no limit on the number of works that a single participant may submit to the competition.
Stages of the competition
Work submission starts on May 15, 2026.
Work submission deadline is on June 19, 2026.
The results are announced on — June 30, 2026.
Requirements to participants
HSE students Russian Federation citizens
The jury members
Pavel Vashchilin is the director of the Moscow Art Theatre Museum
Alexey Kudoyarov is the advisor to the Director of the Moscow Art Theatre Museum
Anna Kuleshova is the head of the «Object and Industrial Design» track at HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL
The prizes
The winners receive:
1st place — a cash prize of 100,000 rubles
2nd and 3rd places — valuable gifts, as well as the opportunity to participate in creative projects of the Moscow Art Theatre Museum
Contact us
HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL Moscow, Malaya Pionerskaya st., 12 creativeopen@hsedesign.ru