The climax came on 13 December, when the winners were announced. The laureates are 24 eminent artists in the field of contemporary art and culture. Among the writers, the first Ambassadors of Culture were Georgi Gospodinov, Zdravka Evtimova, Zahari Karabashliev and Mirela Ivanova.

The artists include Professor Greddy Assa, Alzek Mishev and Katrin Tomova. Among the musicians, the audience chose the conductors Venezia Karamanova, Nayden Todorov and Yordan Kamdzhalov, as well as the virtuoso kaval player Teodosii Spassov and the pianist Ludmil Angelov. Most of the winners were present at the ceremony in the Marble Foyer of Bulgarian National Radio and received a plaque personally from the Director of Bulgarian National Radio, Milen Mitev, and from Nina Tsaneva - journalist of the Hristo Botev programme. 

Writer Georgi Gospodinov first thanked the listeners who voted for him in 2021, when he had not yet won the Booker Prize or other awards.  According to the prominent author, the role of culture and education would become increasingly significant in times of hardship such as the present. And they go hand in hand. He said also: 

An artist's work is usually invisible, they are alone, confined to their studios, away from all the noise of cultural life, but when they are noticed as ambassadors of culture, it is very personal for an artist and a very great recognition - this is what Katrin Tomova, known in this country and around the world for her abstract painting, tells us:

"It gives you self-esteem, but above all, being a cultural ambassador gives you a sense of responsibility, because you paint, you show your things abroad, but you are always and everywhere associated with your country, so it is also a responsibility - to the country that has given you both the inspiration and the impressions that you carry in your work. I like being abroad because on the one hand I am representing myself, but on the other hand I know that I am representing the country I come from". 

One of the winners of the Bulgarian Cultural Ambassador Award for 2021 lives in faraway Japan, but is constantly trying to build a bridge between the two very different cultures through her personal contacts and acquaintances. This is Youliana Antonova-Murata, who was unable to attend the award ceremony. Journalist Magdalena Gigova, who also admires Ms Antonova-Murata for her role as an informal ambassador in faraway Tokyo, now holds her prize. And with the 12 winners of the 2023 Bulgarian Ambassadors of Culture competition still to be announced on 20 December, Magdalena Gigova herself, in her role as listener, has her own favourite to be nominated:

"I would suggest Rina Bakalova, the founder of the Bulgarian Cultural Centre in Tel Aviv and the Bulgarian school there. This year, when the 80th anniversary of the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews was celebrated, she organised a series of events, but that is not the most important thing. She has managed to publish a book, which is a jewel in the printing press, dedicated to the Jewish artists in Bulgaria. This book tells their stories, shows their works and, in an indirect way, thanks the Bulgarian state for saving them from certain death. There were 50,000 Bulgarian Jews living in Bulgaria, and each and every one of them was saved, without a single one going to the death camps. That is why there is a forest of 49,981 trees in the State of Israel, planted by the grateful descendants of the Jews saved in Bulgaria. And this must always be remembered, because there are very few countries that were able to withstand the pressure and save their Jewish population, save as many Jews as Bulgaria".