The other finalists were Jermolaj Albiker, Suyoen Kim, Sini-Maaria Simonen and Yuuki Wong, who were each awarded 2,000 euros.

Pogostin is the daughter of Russian musicians. Her father was a violin professor and her mother was an orchestra musician, and the family immigrated to Germany after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Pogostin studies with Antje Weithaas in Berlin.

The Sibelius Violin Competition has been organized by the Sibelius Society of Finland in Helsinki since 1965 and is held every five years. Previous winners include Viktoria Mullova in 1985 and Leonidas Kavakos in 1990.