Published on: 2026-09-22
Source: Government of the Russian Federation –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
On September 28, the final of the All-Russian competition among teaching staff of the secondary vocational education system “Master of the Year” will start in Novy Urengoy.
“The All-Russian competition ‘Master of the Year’ is held within the framework of the national project ‘Youth and Children,’ implemented by the order of President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. For six years, this competition has brought together college and technical school teachers — proactive, responsible individuals who help to unlock the potential of the younger generation and take the first steps on the path to professional mastery. The final will gather educators from all 89 regions of Russia. Each of them underwent a serious selection process: this year, the competition received a record number of applications — nearly 13 thousand. This is almost 3 thousand more than in 2025. I thank each finalist for their hard work. I wish them confidence in their abilities, healthy competition, and interesting acquaintances!” said Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.
Teachers representing a wide range of training areas made it to the finals: more than 60 professions and specialties, as well as nine general education disciplines. The youngest finalist is 21 years old, the oldest is 56. Among the winners of the regional stage were 54 teachers from organizations participating in the federal project “Professionalism”.
“The ‘Teacher of the Year’ contest unites talented modern educators who are passionate about their profession. It is precisely thanks to their daily work, patience, and wisdom that the country’s human resource potential is formed. It is very important for us to support this community. We see that year after year, more and more teachers strive to make themselves known, share their experience, and demonstrate their best practices. This shows the demand for the contest and the growing authority of the teaching profession. I want to congratulate all the finalists: each of you is already a winner, and your mastery is the main resource for the development of secondary vocational education in Russia,” emphasized Minister of Education Sergey Kravtsov.
The final of the competition traditionally takes place in the homeland of the previous year’s winner. In 2025, the best results were demonstrated by Mikhail Ivanov, a teacher at the Yamal Multidisciplinary College.
“It is a great honor for Yamal to host the best teachers and vocational training masters from across the country. For the district, this event is especially symbolic. Novy Urengoy is the gas capital of Russia, a city of gas workers and builders. Last year, it celebrated its 50th anniversary. The city grew amidst sands and tundra thanks to a large-scale all-Union construction project. At its core is the feat of people in working professions. Behind every pioneer and high-class professional, there is always a mentor. He teaches the profession and shapes personality, nurturing specialists to whom the most serious tasks can be entrusted. I am confident that Yamal will become a platform for the competition participants to exchange advanced experience and a place of inspiration, where traditions of craftsmanship merge with the innovations of the future,” noted Dmitry Artyukhov, Governor of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.
The final events will be broadcast live. The opening ceremony of the “Master of the Year – 2026” final and the conclusion of the competition flag relay will take place on September 28.
The business program of the competition begins on September 29 with the plenary session “All-Russian Teachers’ Council: Mastery and Mentorship in Secondary Vocational Education”, and the competitive program starts with the Educational Case Competition. On September 30, participants face another challenge – the “Open Lesson”.
The names of the ten prize winners of the contest will be announced on October 1st; on the same day, the final contest event “Fall in Love with the Profession” will take place for them.
On the Day of Secondary Vocational Education, October 2, a ceremonial closing ceremony of the final and the announcement of the winner of the “Master of the Year – 2026” competition will take place.
The All-Russian competition among teaching staff of the secondary vocational education system “Master of the Year” is held within the framework of the federal project “Professionalism” of the national project “Youth and Children.” The organizers of the competition are the Ministry of Education of Russia and the All-Russian Education Trade Union. The federal operator is the Institute for the Development of Vocational Education.
The competition serves as a platform for promoting advanced ideas in the field of education, studying and implementing the most promising pedagogical practices, as well as for enhancing the prestige of teaching professions.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.