site.btaBulgarian Antarctic Base to Host Round of World's Largest Science Communication Competition "FameLab"

The world’s leading science communication competition and training programme FameLab will launch a one of a kind event in Antarctica, the organizers of the Bulgarian national competition from the Beautiful Science Foundation said here on Monday.

The 16th Bulgarian edition of the international science communication competition and training programme FameLab is open for entries for the first five heats starting on January 25 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Researchers, engineers, innovators are also invited to respond to the Open Call with proposals for events for the upcoming 15th edition of the county’s oldest science festival, the Sofia Science Festival, due to take place from May 8 to 11, 2025, the organizers added. 

Entries for the first Heat of FameLab Bulgaria 2025 will be accepted until February 23, and the event will take place on February 25 quite suitably in the Lords of the Planet Hall of the National Natural History Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. This will be the first of five Heats in Bulgaria this year. Besides Sofia, Varna and Plovdiv on February 11, there will be an unprecedented FameLab Heat at the Bulgarian Antarctic Base on Livingston Island in Antarctica. 

After CERN and NASA where FameLab has already been organized, and close to 40 countries worldwide in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, North and South America, the organizers of the Bulgarian event will take the competition live to the participants and logistic crews of the 33 Bulgarian Antarctic Expedition, part of the world’s largest outdoor laboratory. The Heat will be live streamed over the internet and there will be a watch party at the venue of the Sofia's Central Market Hall (Tsentralni Hali in Bulgarian). 

FameLab is the largest, public facing, science communication competition and training programme in the world. FameLab is a registered trademark of Cheltenham Festivals, who created the programme in 2005 together with leading UK scientists and in partnership with the country’s foremost research organisations. FameLab turns 20 in 2025. Thanks to a 14-year partnership with the British Council, since 2007 FameLab has run in close to 40 countries across the world together with more than 200 local partner organizations. This vibrant global network brought together over 40,000 scientists and engineers who were able to engage with international audiences.

The competition is aimed to find people who want to talk about their science, not the people who have already shifted into science communication or promotion as a full-time career. 

FameLab is primarily a science communication and training competition, as there isn’t anything else like it. Most recently social sciences were also included as the competition creators recognized that there can be some crossover into the more human elements of science.