With a folklore concert and a solemn ceremony at 5:00 PM at the branch of the Ruse University "Angel Kanchev" in the Moldovan city of Taraclia, the Bulgarian National Radio will award the winners of the essay contest organized by the media for schoolchildren, students and young people of Bulgarian origin in Ukraine and Moldova.

Vice President Iliana Iotova, patron of our initiative, and the Director General of the Bulgarian National Radio, Milen Mitev, are expected to address the participants and guests of the event with greetings.

Among the official guests are the Chair of Taraclia District in Moldova, Lazar Dermenji, H.E. Ms. Maya Dobreva - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Republic of Moldova, Svetoslav Ivanov - Consul General of the Republic of Bulgaria in Odessa, Raina Mandzhukova - Head of the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, Georgi Barbarov - Chairman of the Bulgarian Municipality in Moldova, Plamen Milanov - Chair of the Board of the Association for the Development of the Bulgarian Community in Moldova and others.

The BNR concert in Taraclia features the Svetoglas Quartet, folk singer Julia Gatderova and an instrumental group of the BNR Folk Music Orchestra conducted by Kostadin Genchev and includes performances from the various folklore regions of Bulgaria.

The essay competition for young people from the Bulgarian communities in Ukraine and Moldova is part of BNR's efforts to build a stronger connection with Bulgarians around the world and was announced at the end of February this year. Participants chose between two topics: "If it were possible, which Bulgarian historical figure would you like to meet and why?" and "Which poem by a Bulgarian poet touches you deeply, but always gives you hope, courage and strength?"

"The Bulgarian National Radio has decades of traditions in disseminating information from and about Bulgaria around the world, in telling stories about the lives of our compatriots abroad. Large Bulgarian communities live in Ukraine and Moldova and with this competition we support their aspiration to preserve their identity and language, Bulgarian culture and customs," Milen Mitev, Director General of the Bulgarian National Radio, said at the start of the contest. ·

• Winners of the Bulgarian National Radio essay contest will be awarded at a ceremony in Taraclia

Young people aged 11 to 19 participated in the competition and the winners in the various categories were announced on the BNR website in June.

First prize went to 17-year-old Kseniya Decheva, a student of the Theoretical Lyceum “Olympii Panov” in Taraclia, Moldova.

In the age category of up to 18 years, the works of Evgeniya Nankova, a student at the Kamensky Lyceum, Ukraine, Renata Ivanova and Maksim Dimov from the Bulgarian-Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Center "Media" and Darya Kara from the Bulgarian Sunday School "Izvorche" at the Bulgarian Cultural Center "Academician Alexander Teodorov - Balan" in Ukraine were awarded.

At the solemn ceremony this evening, encouragement prizes will also be presented.

The group from Bulgaria is already in Taraclia. Expect more information and photos from the events there...

Editor: Iulia Bahovski

Publication in English: Alexander Markov

Photos: BTA, Bulgarian National Radio, Facebook-Svetoglas, Personal archive of Julia Gatderova