Their names will be announced at a special ceremony on 15 October at 13:00 in the Maxima Hall at the University of National and World Economy. As before, this year's official ceremony will be held under the patronage of Vice President Iliana Yotova, who will present the prestigious award.

Rayna Mandzhukova also drew attention to the regulations governing the award, which have been questioned by some of the contenders.

"I was criticised that some Bulgarian women didn’t even know they had been nominated, which cannot be true, because we announce the deadline for submitting nominations. This usually happens at the end of February. Once the deadline has passed, we notify both the nominator and the nominee that they have been nominated. The rules also allow either the nominee or the nominator to withdraw their candidacy for any reason. We had a case like this last year, when a woman withdrew for personal reasons. Anyone is free to decide whether they want to receive an award – we have tried to anticipate every possible situation."

During the event at the University of National and World Economy, the results of the public online vote, held in September on the IABA website, will also be announced, revealing who has been chosen as the "Audience’s Favourite Bulgarian Woman of 2024."

Ms. Mandzhukova also made another important clarification regarding the award introduced last year. "The purpose of this distinction is to highlight and recognise the contributions of other members of Bulgarian communities abroad, beyond the main nominees for Bulgarian Woman of the Year," she explained.

"The profile of the nominated compatriots, from near and far, is diverse and reflects the development of Bulgaria’s policy regarding Bulgarians abroad," Manjukova added.

• Radoslava Nedyalkova: Folklore groups are at the heart of Bulgarian communities around the world

'It's only natural that we have many accomplished Bulgarian women in the field of education. As in previous years, there are also many nominees involved in folklore. Before Bulgarian schools were established abroad, most of the nominees were involved in organisational work. However, once Bulgaria began paying more attention to Bulgarian Sunday schools, many of their leaders and teachers started appearing among the nominees. Of course, there are exceptions — for instance, last year, Nevenka Kostadinova received recognition for her work dedicated to protecting human rights and promoting Bulgarian identity in Bosilegrad. I am delighted by the diversity of the nominees and by the growing popularity of our award," Rayna Mandzhukova told Radio Bulgaria on the eve of the prestigious ceremony.

Photos: archive, EABA, BTA