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Entrants in the 17th Russian National Award for Landscape Architecture and Garden Art will present their projects at public sessions of the jury committees. Jury sessions are scheduled for November 17 to 19, 2026, at the Central House of Architects in Moscow, during the festival running from November 16 to 20. The Agency for strategic development "CENTER" is a co-organiser of the award, and its experts will serve on the jury.

The public format offers insight into the reasoning behind design decisions, including the authors’ objectives, the characteristics of each site and their chosen approaches to organising space. For a professional audience, it provides an opportunity to compare approaches to public spaces, residential environments and other types of sites.

The jury’s work is organised into four areas. The first committee reviews landscape architecture and site improvements. The second assesses urban planning solutions, concepts and methodologies. The third considers environmental and engineering design projects and manufacturers’ work. The fourth focuses on the promotion of landscape architecture and public engagement.

Olga Gritsan, Head of the Analytical Department at the Agency for strategic development "CENTER", serves on the Urban Planning Solutions, Concepts and Methodologies committee. This area brings together work on spatial organisation and approaches to shaping the urban environment.

Assessment criteria vary by category group. Spatial design entries are assessed on architectural, planning and landscape organisation, the use of natural components, functionality and the relationships between elements of the environment. This approach requires entrants to present their projects within the site context and demonstrate how individual solutions work together.

For environmental and engineering design, the competition rules provide for an assessment of environmental impact, effectiveness and suitability for the stated task. Manufacturers are assessed on their specialisation and product quality, technologies and innovation, reputation and transparency, and compliance with standards.

The completeness of submission materials and the quality of presentations also form part of the assessment. An appendix to the competition rules sets out the criteria and scoring ranges for each category group. This allows participants to check in advance whether they have provided sufficient information for a professional assessment of their work.

The jury will grant awards in accordance with the competition rules. Results will be announced at the festival’s closing ceremony. Presentation schedules and participant documents are published on the official website: https://alaros.ru.

Photo: Agency for strategic development "CENTER", Olga Gritsan