Musicautor is launching the sixth edition of its "Svetilnik" (Beacon) initiative on October 1 – International Music Day. On that date, the team will announce the new competition through which Bulgarian schools will once again have the chance to receive an anthem, composed as a gift by Bulgarian songwriters.
The same day will also bring details on the application requirements and submission deadlines. Musicautor is looking for school communities with a rich history — with their own patron saints, values and aspirations they want to pass on to future generations.
"Svetilnik" is a long-running Musicautor initiative in which Bulgarian songwriters write and donate anthems to schools across the country. It brings together composers, authors, students, teachers and partners who see music as a way to bring people closer, encourage creativity and build a sense of belonging.
"Over five editions, 'Svetilnik' has grown from an idea for creating school anthems into a long-term, sustainable partnership program that connects creativity, culture and education, and helps shape values for many communities," said Musicautor's executive director, Ivan Dimitrov.
The fifth edition culminated in the concert "Svetilnik 2025–2026: What Would the World Be Without a Song," held in June this year at the Ivan Vazov National Theatre. Nine new school anthems created during the edition were performed on stage, and the concert was preceded by a flash mob featuring students and the Children's Radio Choir of Bulgarian National Radio (BNR).
The May issue of LIK magazine was dedicated to writer, poet, satirist, and cultural and public figure Stoyan Mihaylovski to mark the 170th anniversary of his birth. The issue also marked the 175th anniversary of the first celebration of the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Bulgarian alphabet, education, culture and Slavic literacy. Among the issue's highlights was a feature on "Svetilnik," tracing the initiative's development from its launch in 2021 through its fifth edition, when the project reached beyond Bulgaria's borders for the first time. On that occasion, the team gave a school anthem to a Bulgarian school in Bessarabia, Ukraine — the Georgi Sava Rakovski Bolhrad High School.
Since its launch in 2021, "Svetilnik" has brought together more than 33,000 students and nearly 2,300 teachers from 20 towns and cities through music, creativity and shared values, along with more than 190 songwriters. Five graduating classes from the Faculty of Screen Arts at the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA) have taken part in producing the music videos for the anthems. To date, a total of 40 schools have received anthems.
The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) has been a media partner of the initiative since its founding in 2021, alongside the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education and Science, Bulgarian National Television (BNT), Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA), the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, and the Sofia Municipality.