Annual Awards for 2025
Laureates for 2015
Nikola and Marina Katsarski, 8th grade, National School of Arts “Panayot Pipkov” – Pleven
Grand Prize of the Foundation “Chance for Talent 2024”
For exceptional achievements in the field of visual arts, awarded to Nikola and Marina Katsarski, who have won over 80 prestigious awards over the past year.
Marina: “My dream is to become a teacher and, through personal example, imagination, and sensitivity, teach children to be kind and to see and appreciate the beauty around us.”
Nikola: “My dream is to become a world-famous artist-animator. Through my films, I want to bring smiles, warmth, positivity, and happiness to people, as well as convey educational messages that inspire kindness. I dream of making the world a more beautiful and better place to live through my art.”
Some highlights of Nikola’s achievements:
Winner of the International Art Contest “My Favourite Place On The Earth” in Paris, organized by the European Space Agency. As a prize, a copy of Nikola’s artwork was sent into space on board the International Space Station;
First place (91/100 points) in the International Art Contest “Dali’s Mustache” – Spain; and many more.
Some highlights of Marina’s achievements:
Platinum award in the International Kalaratnam Award organized by Kalaratnam Foundation of Art Society (KFOAS), Bareilly, India;
First prize in the 11th International Contest “Danube Art Master” – Vienna, Austria;
Golden Artist in the International Art Contest “Artistic Genesis”, Picasso Art Contest – India;
First place in the 5th International Contest “Christmas Nativity”, organized by Charumela Art School, Bangladesh; and many others.
Konstantin Radostinov Bashikov, 9th grade, National Music School “Lyubomir Pipkov”, Sofia
Monetary award for talented children/youth with limited financial resources who have achieved significant success in music.
“I was born in 2008 in Sofia. I’ve been involved with music since the age of six. My first piano teacher was Mrs. Emilia Dikova. In second grade, I was accepted into NUMSI ‘Pancho Vladigerov’, Burgas, in the piano class of Mrs. Yana Raycheva, and since 2019, I study at NMU ‘L. Pipkov’, Sofia, in the piano class of Mr. Alexander Botusharov. I have received numerous awards from international and national competitions held in Bulgaria and abroad.”
Some major awards:
First prize – International music competition “Best Rachmaninoff Performance”, part of the “Great Composers Competition” series;
First prize – 18th International Competition for Young Performers of Classical Music Instruments;
First prize (Golden Lyre of Orpheus) – 11th International Competition for Music, Dance, and Fine Arts “Orpheus Talents”, Plovdiv, 2025;
Citta di Barletta, Italy 2023; and more.
Teodora Kirilova Stoyanova, 8th grade, High School of Mathematics “Acad. Nikola Obreshkov” – Burgas
Monetary award for talented children/youth with limited financial resources who have achieved success in mathematics and literature.
“I’ve participated in various creative events, charity concerts, national and international competitions and festivals, where I’ve won top prizes. These experiences helped me develop my artistic skills, made me happy, and inspired me, as I realized I was good at what I did and that people appreciated it. That encouraged me to strive even more.”
Some major achievements:
First place (shared, maximum score of 100 points) – 7th grade, National Mathematical Competition “European Kangaroo” (in-person);
Third place (solo) – 7th grade, 43rd National Olympiad in Bulgarian Language and Literature, national round – held in Hisarya;
Third place (shared) – 7th grade – InIMC 2024 – International Mathematical Competition – India 2024, Key Stage II Division (Upper Primary Education); and others.
Simona Vasileva Vasileva, 12th grade, High School of Mathematics “Dobri Chintulov”, Sliven
Individual monetary award for excellence in literature.
“All my hobbies can be summed up in one word – creation. I see myself as someone born to create. Writing magical tales, captivating stories, and touching essays are at the heart of what I do. That’s why I work professionally in the field of arts. But sometimes, I crave simplicity – a key to mindful existence: curling up with a book, making a milky coffee, singing my heart out, feeding the pigeons from the balcony, driving, petting my cat under the chin… and my favorite – learning in the peace of silence.”
Major achievements:
First prize in the National Competition “Memory of the Past with Hope for the Future”, January 2024, essay category;
First prize in the 25th National Competition “For Our Daily Bread”, Blagoevgrad, 2024, essay category;
First prize in “The World of Yavorov”, Petrich;
First place in “The Magical World of Angel Karaliichev”, Sofia, May 17, 2024, literary prose category;
Second prize in the 8th National Competition “April Fools’ Cane”, Vratsa, April 22, 2024, satire category; and many more.
Sofia Ivanova, 10th grade, National School of Arts “Dobri Hristov”, Varna & University of Music and Performing Arts, Graz, Austria
Individual “Mirela Buyuklieva” award for outstanding performance in music.
“I’ve been involved in the arts since the age of four, when my parents enrolled me in the choir ‘Sea Stars’ under conductor Maria Groydis. In second grade, I began classical singing lessons with the renowned Bulgarian tenor Arseniy Arsov to improve my breathing – and I fell in love with opera. I continue to study both flute and classical singing. Currently, my vocal teachers are mezzo-sopranos Maria Zhekova and Roberta Matelli, who is also an opera director.”
Notable achievements:
First prize – 98.5/100 points, recital category (flute and singing) at Boris Hristov House-Museum, Sofia;
Laureate I degree – 8th Open Zonal Competition “Sole Mio” (Classical Singing), under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture of Russia;
Golden Badge and Diploma for “Outstanding achievements on Bulgarian and international stages on three continents”;
First prize – 24th National Festival of Arts and Contest “A Tale for You”, Varna;
First prize – 11th International Contest for Vocal and Instrumental Music “The Sound of Time”, Veliko Tarnovo; and many more.
Vyara Pencheva, 9th grade, High School of Mathematics “Acad. Ivan Gyuzelev” – Gabrovo
Individual monetary award for excellence in visual arts.
“I have diverse interests in science and art, and I regularly participate in Olympiads, competitions, and contests. I’ve been practicing visual arts for over 10 years and have entered competitions worldwide. My creative journey began at the ‘Eliza Art’ Studio in Gabrovo, led by Eliza Kovacheva-Tsokova. To date, I’ve received more than 500 awards from prestigious national and international contests. I also regularly take part in international exhibitions, projects, and charity initiatives. My international journey began in 2014, when, at the age of four, I became the youngest winner of the 1st International Children’s Drawing Contest in memory of Edmund Thomas Clint, organized by Kerala Tourism – the award was a trip to India. This tremendous achievement and unforgettable experience motivated me to continue developing my talent, experimenting with various techniques and materials, and winning many more awards over the years.”
Major achievements:
First place (sole winner), all ages – World Drawing Contest, organized by Worldwide Kids Drawings LLC – Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, USA, July 17, 2024;
First place, age 13–14 – 8th International Drawing Contest “We are the Children of the Cosmos” – Moscow, Russia, October 31, 2024;
Gold Medal, all ages – World Children’s Drawing Contest 2024, organized by “Little Iconographer” Foundation – Kazanlak, November 16, 2024;
Gold Award (highest honor), age 13–20 – 25th International Youth Art Meeting – EVORA 2024 – Evora, Portugal, October 7, 2024; and many others.
