Annual Awards for 2021
The annual awards project “Chance for the Talent” aims to support the training and performance of talented children and young people in the sciences, humanities, arts, technology as a stage in the process of continuous learning, education and development. For 14 years we have supported individual awards and distinctions for talented children and young people. Over 75 children from across the country have been honored through the Awards, Scholarships and Honors program, and 10 of them have won the Foundation’s Chance for Talent Grand Prize.
Laureates for 2021
Yassen Penchev, 10th grade, “Acad. Ivan Gyuzelev”, town Gabrovo
Cash prize for excellent performance at national or international Olympiads, competitions, contests in the field of mathematics and informatics.
“All these years I did not stop looking for myself. Every new field was a challenge for me. Every new achievement gave me the incentive to keep going. Today, I believe I have found my love, and thanks to my professors, I continue to pursue my dreams in mathematics and computer science.”
To date, Jasen has won more than 100 awards in mathematics and computer science, with a total of 20 prize awards from national and international competitions in both fields during the 2020/2021 academic year.
Slaveya Semova, 1st year, “Ep. Konstantin Preslavski”, gr. Shumen
Cash prize for excellent performance in the field of literature at national or international Olympiads, competitions, contests.
“Writing, the creative process of creating stories, characters and pictures brings me satisfaction and makes me truly happy. This is the thing I feel best at. I love expressing my thoughts on paper, creating worlds and characters that I put a piece of myself into and expect someone to relate to too; I love long walks and vast vistas, and I find my favourite hiding place from reality between the covers and the smell of books. I dream of creating many more works that will find their readers, reap success, be appreciated and published in books.”
Slaveja’s most significant achievements are: 1st place and the special prize in the National Literary Competition “What the Wind Told Me”, 2021; special prize in the National Competition for students from 1st to 12th grade on “Return to the Roots”, 2021. I place in the National Literature and Art Contest “Madan – a piece of paradise”, 2021; I place in the National Literary Contest “My dream story with…”, 2021 and many others.
Demira Nedeva, 9th grade, “Akad. Kiril Popov”, town of. Plovdiv
Cash prize for talented children/youth with limited financial means who have achieved special success in the field of mathematics.
“Mathematics is my thing. I don’t know exactly how my interest in problems started, it happened somehow gradually, imperceptibly and at some point mathematics is a part of me, without it I don’t feel complete and finished.”
In the 2020/2021 academic year, Demira has won 13 prizes, the most notable of which are: First Place and Gold Medal (the only Gold Medal among non-American participants) at the American Mathematical Olympiad International (ARML); Prize Certificate and Gold Medal (the highest award in the world) at the Australian Mathematical Competition (AMC); second place and silver medal at the Iranian Geometry Olympiad (IGO); second place in division at the American Purple Comet Team Competition; third place and bronze medal at the United International Mathematical Olympiad Formula of Unity; and many others.
Marina Katsarska, 5th grade, “Panayot Pipkov” National School of Mathematics, Pleven
Cash prize for talented children/youth with limited financial means who have achieved special success in the field of fine arts.
“My interest in fine and applied arts was born in preschool. My mom and I would often go on nature walks and collect different natural materials. From them at home we made beauties together for our home. We would read picture books about the animals inhabiting the forests and rivers, and I, observing the illustrations, would draw or make them out of plasticine. I have been learning to use a graphics tablet for nine months and have already entered competitions with computer drawings I created.”
For the 2020/2021 school year, Marina has won more than 20 prizes, 11 of them from prestigious international drawing competitions.
Nikola Katsarsky, 5th grade, “Panayot Pipkov” National School of Art, Pleven
Cash prize for talented children/youth with limited financial means who have achieved special success in the field of fine arts.
“I have outstanding interests in art. I like to draw a lot, to make different things from natural materials, and to write poems, stories and fairy tales. Sometimes I also create comics. I have been learning to use a graphics tablet for nine months. I have already won two gold medals with the first two computer drawings I created.”
For the 2020/2021 school year, Nicolas has been awarded 27 prizes, 17 of which are from prestigious international competitions.
Vyara Pencheva, 6th grade, “Acad. Ivan Gyuzelev”, Sofia Gabrovo
Cash prize for excellent performance in the field of fine arts at national or international Olympiads, competitions, contests.
“For me art is magic, which gives me the opportunity to express my thoughts, desires and dreams. Peace, love, harmony, traditions and nature – these are the main themes in my works. I dream to make the world better and more beautiful through my drawings.”
To date, Vyara has won more than 200 prizes in the field of fine art, and for 2020/2021 she has won 80 awards, 53 of which are from international competitions.
Ilias Noman, 11th grade, SHS “Paisii Hilendarski”, town of Kiev Sofia
Cash prize for excellent performance in mathematics at national or international Olympiads, competitions, contests.
“The science I am interested in is mathematics. I started to deal with it seriously after I entered the Sofia Mathematical High School. I liked the way of thinking, because in mathematics the most important are ideas, creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. I wasn’t so successful at the beginning, but I kept doing it because I enjoy thinking about complex problems and cases. I also like doing non-competitive math because of the way it feeds my curiosity about science, broadens my horizons, and I can safely go through the material without deadlines.”
Ilias’ most notable achievements during the 2020/2021 school year include: first place (with maximum points) and gold medal at the European math cup; first place (with maximum points) and gold medal at the national round of the National Math Olympiad; silver medal at the International Math Olympiad; silver medal at the Iranian Geometry Olympiad; silver medal at the Balkan Math Olympiad; and many more.
Iva Ichevska, 10th grade, Plovdiv High School, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Individual cash prize for excellent performance in the field of musical art at national or international Olympiads, competitions, contests.
“I love music because it makes me dream and transports me to different worlds, far from reality. Singing songs from different decades, I feel as if I am travelling through time. Apart from singing, my other passions are mathematics, foreign languages and cinema. In the field of mathematics, I have also won many awards in national and international competitions.”
During the 2020/2021 school year, Iva has won 53 prizes in international and national competitions in the field of music.
Simona Marinova, 3rd grade, Primary School “Dragan Manchov”, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Individual cash prize for excellent performance in mathematics at national or international Olympiads, competitions, contests.
“Mathematics is a very good science and I want to do it. My original problems were published in a collection together with problems of other children. I really want to be at the level to be accepted to the mathematics school in Plovdiv after the fourth grade.”
For the school year 2020/2021 Simona has 49 prize awards in mathematics from national and international competitions.
Iveta Pophristova, 7th grade, “Vicho Gruncharov” Secondary School, Gorna Oryahovitsa
Individual cash prize for excellent performance in the field of musical art at national or international Olympiads, competitions, contests.
“Singing is my passion. I will apply next year folk singing and I already know that this is not just a goal, but my future. When I’m on stage, I want to show not only what I can do, but I want the song to touch people’s hearts. With the folk song, with the folk costume, I feel like a real Bulgarian and I want many more children to be passionate about folk singing.”
Among Iveta’s most significant achievements for the school year 2020/2021 are. I place in the competition “Young Folklore Talents” of the Bulgarian National Radio; laureate in the Petropavlovsk festival “Horo is howling near the monastery”; special prize in the competition “In the middle of the square in Arbanassi” and many others.
Simona Vassileva, 9th grade, Dobri Chintulov Secondary School, Sliven
Individual cash prize for excellent performance in the field of literature at national or international Olympiads, contests, competitions.
“The thing that every child thinks and dreams about is what he will become when he grows up big. Some want to become policemen, others princesses, a doctor or an artist, but I dream of becoming a mother and a writer. Yes. I dream of having a big family with lots of little kids to read my stories sprinkled with lots of love.”
For the 2020/2021 school year, Simona has been awarded prizes in over 30 competitions, two of which have international status.
Viktoriya Poshtarova, 2nd grade, School “Panayot Volov”, town. Shumen
Individual cash prize for excellent performance in the field of musical art at national or international Olympiads, competitions, contests.
“My biggest passion is singing. I was taught discipline and diligence, I work every day on my vocal skills. Every new success gives me wings and makes me strive for higher and higher honors. I dream of the big stage, original songs, TV appearances, also representing our country at Eurovision one day, but most of all I want to make the world a better place and make my family proud of me.”
For the past school year 2020/2021 Victoria Poshtarova has won numerous awards for vocal mastery, the most significant of which are 18 in number from various national and international competitions.
Due to a lack of suitable entries this year, the Foundation will not be awarding the Opportunity for Talent Grand Prize or the Innovative Project Cash Award. The funds earmarked for these awards have been used by the Foundation to award eight additional individual cash prizes for outstanding performance in national or international Olympiads, competitions and contests.
