Students from across Bulgaria can send in poems, essays, fairy tales and short stories until 7 December 2026 for the 15th national contest for Orthodox poetry, prose and video recitation in Burgas. The theme is "The Nativity of the Saviour".
The contest is run by the Ministry of Education and Science, the Regional Education Department in Burgas, the National Palace of Children, Burgas council, the Centre for Personal Development Support (CPDS) in Burgas and the Metropolis of Sliven.
Organisers say the contest draws on the spiritual message of Christmas. They want young people to take an interest in literature, recitation and Orthodox Christian values, and to get a chance to show their creativity and grow spiritually. Through words and art, entrants show how they understand faith, hope, love and kindness.
There are three categories. Poetry entries must be original poems on the theme. In prose, students choose between an essay, a fairy tale and a short story. The third category is a video of the student reciting a poem.
The results will appear on the official website of the CPDS in Burgas on 11 December. The awards ceremony will be on 15 December 2026 at 5pm in the Petya Dubarova hall of the Morsko Casino Cultural Centre.
At the start of November we reported that students were given awards in the contest "St John of Rila – Protector of the Bulgarian People" at the Church of the Holy Mother of God in Burgas. The ceremony had the blessing of Metropolitan Arsenius of Sliven, and 178 children took part in the eighth edition.
The rules and the entry form are on the CPDS website in Burgas. For information, call 056/844-549. Questions can also go to Atanasia Petrova, a senior teacher at the centre, on 0886 029 209, or organiser Gabriela Zapryanova on 0898 661 069.