Winners of the Bulgarian National Radio essay contest will be awarded at a ceremony in Taraclia

The contest is aimed at schoolchildren and university students from the Bulgarian diaspora in Ukraine and Moldova

published on 9/18/25 10:32 AM

Photo: Archive

At the end of February this year, the Bulgarian National Radio announced an essay contest aimed at schoolchildren and students from the Bulgarian diaspora in Ukraine and Moldova descending from the historical and geographical region of Bessarabia.

The children could choose from two topics: "If it were possible, which Bulgarian historical figure would you like to meet and why?" and " Which poem of a Bulgarian poet not only touches you deeply but always gives you courage, hope and strength?"

At first glance, their sincerity and admiration for the legacy of great Bulgarians such as Tsar Simeon the Great, Raina Popgeorgieva - Raina Knyaginya, Vasil Levski, Alexander Malinov are evident in their writing. In the essays, we also find the questions young people would gladly ask them. "What does courage mean and how is it manifested in our time?", "How can we learn to be fearless?", "How should I live in our time?" - seemingly simple, but with a difficult answer, often accompanied by the feeling of a lump in the throat.

The branch of Ruse University in Taraclia

On September 19 a special ceremony in the Moldovan city of Taraclia, the center of Bulgarians in Moldova, the awarded young people aged 11 to 19 will receive their awards, awarded by the jury of the competition.

The jury chairman is the writer academician Vladimir Zarev, and among its members are Bulgarian writer Zdravka Evtimova, the chairman of the Public Council of the Bulgarian National Radio Milena Dimitrova, editor-in-chief of Radio Bulgaria Krasimir Martinov, the chief playwright of BNR's Hristo Botev channel Mitko Novkov, the executive director of the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad Raina Mandzhukova and Nikolay Nikolov - chief expert in the Education of Bulgarians Abroad and School Network directorate at the Ministry of Education and Science.

The initiative is implemented under the patronage of Vice President Iliana Iotova and with the support of the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science.

The names of the awardees can be seen here.