How to participate in the World Championship of Russian Language for Foreigners
Want to test your knowledge of Russian? Form a team and register by October 15, 2025. Finalists win the chance to travel to Russia for free!
Who can participate?
Teams of five people, ages 16 to 22, are eligible to participate. They must reside outside of Russia and not hold Russian citizenship. As stated on the championship website, it’s preferable for the team to be from the same geographic region to ensure they can quickly assemble for the tasks.
Each team must have a mentor (coach) over 21 years old, who is proficient in Russian. They will accompany the team. The mentor can be from any country (including Russia).
Participation in the tournament is free of charge at all stages. Online master classes are also provided for coaches before the competition begins.
How will the championship be organized?
It consists of several stages:
- Registration (until October 15)
- Qualification stage: assessment of language proficiency level (October 16-17)
- Selection stage: listening and writing (October 20-23)
- Draw: teams are assigned to groups (October 30)
- 1/16 finals: team debates (October 31 - November 4)
- 1/8 finals: puzzle solving (November 5-9)
- Quarter-finals: language tasks on understanding figurative meanings (November 10-14)
- Third-place match: completing a text quest (November 24-28)
- Final! A discussion game between teams (December 15-16)
- Super Final! A real-time quest with tasks and live communication (December 17).
The championship will be held online up to the third-place match. However, the final and super final will take place in Russia. All travel and accommodation expenses for the finalists (including coaches) will be covered by the championship organizers.
The winner will receive the Championship Cup and all finalists will receive memorable prizes and, of course, the opportunity to see Russia with their own eyes!
How to register?
Your team must be registered by your coach-mentor on the championship website. The form must be filled out in Russian and submitted by October 15.
If you don't have a team, you can join already registered participants by launching the support service bot on Telegram.
The championship is organized by the ‘Center for Educational Development and International Activity’ (‘Interobrazovanie’) with the support of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
