A total of 679 children from all across Bulgaria took part in the national children's drawing contest "My Money". The young artists, aged up to 12, were tasked to design a banknote of an existing or imaginary currency, its denomination and the mandatory components, insignia and protective elements it would include.

"Often, in conversations with teachers and parents on the topic of children's financial literacy, I have encountered understanding that the topic is important and it is necessary to work with the children in this direction and at the same time a concern about how to achieve this in an understandable way,“ Natalia Todorova of the team of organizers says. „This competition was born as an answer to this concern, by providing a simple tool - with the help of an interesting art initiative we can start the important conversation about money, financial habits, the value of goods, understanding how economies work, so that children grow up more educated, more informed and more prosperous.”

Many of the children portrayed famous historical figures and contemporaries. We see Bulgarian rulers, revolutionaries, athletes and elements of Bulgarian history and culture. The projects also include cartoon characters, plants and animals, and even aliens.

"Perhaps, the thing that unites them is that there is not a single politician depicted,“ Natalia Todorova says. „It is also interesting that many of the children preferred their banknotes to be of high denomination – 1,000, 100,000, or 1 million. This does not mean that children expect hyperinflation, but rather demonstrates their perception of money and value in general. There are quite a few interesting projects, as some of them are so perfect that they are ready to go directly to the BNB printing house."

The participants have worked seriously on the subject, and although it is a children drawing contest, they contain very deep messages - protection of peace, nature, the importance of motherhood, care for the poor...

"It's really quite impressive what messages children have chosen to recreate through money. They managed to catch this thin thread in the money signs, because they have always represented the cultural, economic and political development of a given country,“ Natalia Todorova says in an interview with Radio Bulgaria. "And in fact, these messages make us think as a society about the problems that concern the next generation."

The winner of the audience award is now known. This is 11-year-old Maria-Magdalena Boneva from Yambol. Her currency is called "hitri" and is named after the Bulgarian folklore character Hitar Petar, a trickster character who is depicted riding a donkey. The denomination is 999, a reference to one of the tales in which Hitar Petar cheats a butcher.

The winners according to the jury will be known on June 3, when an exhibition with the impressive works of the participants in the "My Money" contest will be opened. Until June 15, the works can be seen in the contemporary art gallery "Unicredit Studio" in Sofia with free entry.

"I really hope it will become an annual initiative, especially since Bulgaria is about to adopt the euro as its national currency, so the competition can grow in that direction and the children can think and make their drawings on this topic. What we saw showed a lot of artistic talent, but also children's understanding of what money is, what its functions are and what it should look like," Natalia Todorova says in conclusion.

English: Al Markov