On October 6, 2025, a solemn award ceremony for the winners of the international architectural and design competition INSPIRELI AWARDS took place in Prague, in the impressive setting of the Bethlehem Chapel.

A team of master students from the Environmental Design educational program at Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design (KNUTD), supervised by Tetiana Bulhakova, PhD, Associate Professor at the Department of Interior and Furniture Design, won third place in the “Zahrádky Castle Competition”.

Thanks to this achievement, as well as the regular participation of students from both bachelor’s and master’s programs in the competition, KNUTD entered the ranking of the world’s best universities according to the results of the INSPIRELI AWARDS – taking 7th place among European universities and 51st place worldwide among 1,467 architecture and design institutions participating in the contest.

The award ceremony was attended by students of Group MgDs-24 – Violetta Semenchenko, Iryna Abramova, Aliona Hlushak, Anzhelika Nizhnik, Maria Kharchenko, and Nataliia Babaryka, as well as the project supervisor Tetiana Bulhakova.

The interior design project created by KNUTD master students, in addition to receiving a prize in the “Zahrádky Castle Competition”, was also shortlisted as a finalist in the “Interior” category among 1,504 projects from 77 countries, recognized as one of the best student architecture and design works of the year, and reached the finals of the ARCHICAD PRIZE category.

Another finalist in this category was Maria Yashchenko, a 2024 graduate of the Environmental Design master’s program (project supervisor Oleksandra Shmelova-Nesterenko Associate Professor at the Department of Interior and Furniture Design, PhD, Associate Professor).

The diplomas and cash prize were presented by Professor Milena Kraličková, Rector of Charles University (Prague), who praised the high level of professional training and creative potential of Ukrainian students in her speech.

After the ceremony, the KNUTD delegation was warmly congratulated by Vasyl Zvarych, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Czech Republic, who emphasized that the success of Ukrainian students on the international stage not only represents the University’s achievement but also powerfully promotes Ukraine’s image through culture, education, and design.

The students of Group MgDs-24 worked on the competition task as part of the course “Environmental Design Projecting”. According to the competition requirements, they had to develop a concept for transforming a large three-story historic castle building into a modern multifunctional space, including a restaurant, exhibition halls, conference and lecture rooms, hotel, and souvenir shop.

To manage the large-scale task effectively, the project was divided into four parts, each developed by a separate student team. Each participant was responsible for specific sections – drawings, visualization, or coordination between parts.

Thanks to well-organized teamwork, mutual support, and engagement, the students achieved an impressive result.

During the process, they gained invaluable experience in creative collaboration, learned to discuss ideas, find compromises, support one another, and take collective responsibility for the final outcome – skills essential for their future professional careers.

Congratulations to the teachers and students of the Department of Interior and Furniture Design on this remarkable achievement and prestigious international recognition!

16.10.2025