On 21 October 2023, the Hermitage’s School Centre was the setting for the formal opening of the 27th Computer Graphics and Animation Competition, which is devoted to the major 2023 exhibition “Tsars and Knights. Romancing with the Middle Ages”.
The competition is organized by the museum’s School Centre in conjunction with the State Hermitage’s Volunteer Service and the Saint Petersburg Computer Technology Educational Centre of the Academy of Supplementary Vocational Training.
The meeting began in the Large Hall of the School Centre, where Irina Borisovna Voitsekhovskaya, a methods specialist in the School Centre, told children, parents and teachers about the art of the Middle Ages and historical events of the 9th to 16th centuries. The rules and topics for the competition were announced by Mikhail Yuryevich Kozhukhovsky, head of the Hermitage’s Volunteer Service. Afterwards, those attending were able to move to the Nicholas Hall and the exhibition “Tsars and Knights. Romancing with the Middle Ages”, where they took part in an engaging quest through the display and chose subjects for their future competition entries.
The new competition offers participants eight interesting themes. The youngsters will be able to discover for themselves the secrets of the Middle Ages and knightly culture, focussing on the subjects “The Way of the Knight”, “The Knight at Leisure” and “Mediaeval Knightly Stylist”. Those who would like to rethink the image of the knight in line with our present-day realities can choose the themes “Knights of the Hermitage” and “The Merch of a Knight-Blogger”. There is a chance to fantasize about the life of a mediaeval hero by answering the question “What does a knight dream of?”, while “Compromise” is a subject that invites unexpected solutions to the quarrel between knight and dragon. The topic “Knightly Romances” provides the opportunity to tell about great works of literature devoted to knighthood and the emergence of the modern fantasy genre.
There are five separate categories for competition entries: computer graphics and animation; the creation of videos, multimedia presentations, games and websites. School pupils in years 1–11 can take this opportunity to demonstrate their talents.
Entries must be submitted before 1 December 2023. Entrants can be aged from 7 to 18.
More details about the terms and conditions for the competition “Tsars and Knights. Romancing with the Middle Ages” can be found on the website.
