site.btaVP Iotova Awards Winners of Essay Writing Competition for Students in Ukraine and Moldova

Bulgarian Vice President Iliana Iotova presented the grand prize from the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) essay competition for pupils and students from the Bulgarian diaspora in Moldova and Ukraine to 17-year-old Ksenia Deceva. The award ceremony took place at the branch of Ruse University in the Moldovan city of Taraclia on Friday night.

The initiative is part of BNR's efforts to strengthen ties with Bulgarian communities around the world and is carried out under the auspices of Iotova. The ceremony was accompanied by a musical programme performed by the BNR Folk Music Orchestra and Svetoglas quartet.

In her keynotes, Iotova said: "Wherever Bulgarian is spoken, in every family, in every home where we think in Bulgarian, that is Bulgaria. I would like to especially congratulate my colleagues from the Bulgarian National Radio for this wonderful initiative and the jury of the competition. I managed to read all the award-winning essays, and I can imagine how difficult it was for them, because there are incredible topics, stories written in beautiful literary Bulgarian, with a lot of knowledge about Bulgarian history, Bulgarian culture, Bulgarian literature."

The winner Ksenia Deceva said she was grateful to everyone who came to congratulate her. She shared: "The essay I wrote is my heart, my soul. I continue to believe in myself and in the people who encourage me. I believe in God and His help. I believe that I will soon recover completely."

BNR Director General Milen Mitev said that the media are not only a source of information, but also a kind of bridge between people, cultures, and generations. He added: "And the Bulgarian National Radio successfully fulfils its mission—to build bridges. For 90 years now, it has been reporting on everything important and interesting that is happening in Bulgaria and around the world." He said that the essays submitted for the competition demonstrate not only knowledge and respect for Bulgarian history and culture but also a desire to seek parallels between the past and the present.

The essay competition was announced at the end of February 2025. Participants could choose one of two topics: “If it were possible, which Bulgarian historical figure would you like to meet and why?” and “Which poem by a Bulgarian poet not only touches you deeply, but always gives you hope, courage, and strength?”.

Children and young people aged between 11 and 19 took part in the competition, which was organized with the support of the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science.