Published on: 2026-04-28
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –
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Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko and head of Rosmolodezh Grigory Gurov summed up the results of the application campaign for the All-Russian mentor competition “To Be, Not to Seem,” which is being held for the third time under the instructions of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. The project is aimed at identifying the best mentoring practices in the country, developing the patriotic education system, creating a professional personnel reserve, and searching for new leaders, including among participants of the special military operation.
“Upbringing a harmoniously developed, patriotic, and socially responsible personality is a priority task that stands before us within the framework of the national project “Youth and Children.” The all-Russian mentors competition “To Be, Not to Seem,” held for the third time under the assignment of President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, helps achieve this goal. More and more people are eager to share their experience. This season, a record 80 thousand applications from mentors were submitted for the competition.””The average age of the contestants is 30 years, with a third of them being young people up to 18 years old,” stated Deputy Chairman of the Government Dmitry Chernyshenko.
This year, participants could submit applications in the following nominations: “Beginning Mentor”, “Experienced Mentor”, “Mentor-Leader”, “Own Mentor”, “Mentor at Service”, as well as in the new direction “Being an Example”, aimed at specialists who work with adolescents in social risk groups and require special pedagogical attention. In this nomination, teams of two people — mentor and mentee — could take part. Leaders in the number of applications submitted were the nominations “Experienced Mentor” (38%) and “Beginning Mentor” (35%).
Thanks to the “To Be, Not to Seem” contest, mentors can join the professional community and enter the talent pool. Candidates for the win are people from all over the country of various professions and ages: these are schoolchildren and teachers, veterans of the special military operation, firefighters, microbiologists, choreographers, and representatives of other professions. The largest number of applicants this year came from residents of Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Kemerovo, Belgorod regions, and the Republic of Tatarstan. For the first time, citizens of the Republic of Abkhazia submitted applications.200 winners from past years continue to work in the region, implementing their projects and helping young people find their path,” noted the head of Rosmolodezh, Grigory Gurov.
Mentorship is becoming a key mechanism in raising the younger generation, responsible for the future of the state. Currently, more than 60,000 military-patriotic clubs operate, the share of clubs where veterans of combat operations become mentors is increasing. Industry standards have been introduced into the activities, and a comprehensive mentorship program is also in effect.
In 2024, Alina Panteleeva participated in the competition as a contestant and won in the nomination “Young Mentor.” In 2025, she became an expert of the competition, and now is an employee of the RosPatrioCenter Rosmolodezh. She works on the development of the competition “To Be, Not Just Seem” and teaches at the Presidential Academy.
Timur Kuserbaev from Bashkiria received a severe injury near Ugledar, but this did not prevent him from winning the “To Be, Not to Seem” contest and becoming a mentor for children from orphanages in his region. And SVO veteran Dmitry Belitsky began working with teenagers with deviant behavior.
The selection of candidates is currently underway by experts from among the competition partners, as well as winners and finalists from previous years. The results of the qualifying stage will be summarized in May. In summer, the semifinalists will undergo in-person round-robin interviews and complete thematic assignments. The first semifinal for the Volga and Ural federal districts will be held from June 7 to 13 in Tyumen.
In the autumn, the final stage of the competition will take place, in which 400 finalists will participate.
The organizers of the competition are the Rospatriotcenter for Youth in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Russian society “Znanie”, the program “More Than a Journey”, “First Movement” and the “Warrior” center.
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