Professor Minko Balkanski was awarded the Enlightener of 2018. The founder of the National Institute of Education was awarded for his overall contribution to education of Bulgarian children. The ninety-one- year-old internationally acclaimed physicist (who has a French citizenship) and his Minu Balkanski Foundation discover, prepare and help talented Bulgarian children study in prestigious international universities.

It is our duty to find the contemporary enlighteners- the people who make a lot of efforts to fulfill their causes, to progress and serve as an example, the President of the Bulgarian National Assembly Tsveta Karayancheva said at the award ceremony of the fifth edition of Enlightener of the Year organized by the Bulgarian National Radio. The journalists from Hristo Botev programme of the Bulgarian National Radio nominated seventeen people for the 2018 Enlightener of the Year Award. BNR listeners nominated a total of 120 people. The laureates are people with significant achievements, persons who made strong spiritual messages and people with high-profile presence in the media. 

Milen Ruskov’s novel Chamkoria won first prize in Prose category of Kulutra.bg portal for culture, art and society for the “author’s inimitable language mastery to restore the period of the 1920’s seen in the eyes of his main character Slave Zhelyazkov showing how even the smallest life details can become an asylum of dignity”.

Professor Klimentina Ivanova received the special award of the Kultura.bg portal for her “exceptional contribution to textual study of Old Bulgarian literature and for her civil position in defending the truth in difficult and troubled times”. On the Day of the National Enlighteners Kultura.bg portal handed out for the fifth time awards for contribution to literature and humanitarian studies.

Forty three Bulgarian singers and dancers competed in seventeen categories for the Crystal Lyre Award. The Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra won the first prize in Orchestral Art category which is recognition for its exceptional 2017/2018 music season and the concerts held with soloists such as Sarah Chang, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Maxim Vengerov, Thomas Hampson and Yuri Bashmet.

“This is an exceptional present for the 90^th anniversary of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra which makes great efforts to enrich Sofia’s concert life.  I can promise you that wonders are yet to come”, the Director of Sofia Philharmonic Maestro Nayden Todorov said. Maestro Todorov received the special Crystal Lyre award of Cantus Firmus music agency- a recognition for his creative skills and achievements as music conductor.

Edited by: Elena Karkalanova

English version: Kostadin Atanasov