For a second year now, an Englishwoman tells the world about Bulgaria with lots of love. Dr. Barbara Page-Roberts has launched an art contest for Bulgarian children worldwide with the motto Because We Love Bulgaria, part of the project The Best of Bulgaria. It presents a mobile application for tablets and smart phones created by people who take interest in Bulgaria and love this country.

This year's contest entries were 530 with 21 works singled out in three age groups - 5-9, 10-14 and 15-19. Top winners included the works A Letter from Abroad by Asla Gyurselova, 9, from the town of Popovo; A Window to Bulgaria by Polina Petrova, 11, from the town of Lovech; and Bulgaria in My Eyes by Georgi Georgiev, 17, from the town of Targovishte. All winners were given tablets from premium brands.

Why should an Englishwoman do all this? Radio Bulgaria talked to Dr Barbara Page-Roberts.

Genuine love for Bulgaria is virtually streaming from the works of green Bulgarian talents and it proved fascinating to the Minister of Education and Science Todor Tanev who honoured the award-giving event. He is going to decorate his office with a work by Alexander Potourlian, 7. He was given a gold medal for his work The Monastery and Our House in Shipka, Myself with Stilts, Yana and Mom. “Kids are able to express plenty of love”, Minister Tanev said. “They inspire me every day. My job is blessed. We have one, two or three kids in a family, while a teacher can have hundreds of them. That's the job's worth!” And he added his impressions from the work of young Alexander:

„In him I see a Bulgarian child and pupil, not so much a fraction of the national spirit. I won't love to see in their works a monument from history textbooks. I want them to look into the future of Bulgaria. The present-day is worthier when based on dreams for the future, rather than on the symbols of the past, though don't get me wrong: I do not intend to dwarf the symbols of the past.”

The best of Bulgaria has been presented through high-quality photographs with short captions. The application features 420 photos by 52 photographers from 80 towns and villages in the country arranged in 15 categories that illustrate the reasons why we love Bulgaria. The first version for iPad was presented in the autumn of last year and from April 2014 the application The Best of Bulgaria - in an Android version is already available at GooglePlay. In early December the version for iPhone will be presented as well as the latest optimized version for all kinds of smartphones and tablets with iOS and Android operational systems.

English Daniela Konstantinova