Burgas weekly Chernomorski Far has won the Golden Pen award from the Union of Bulgarian Journalists for graphic design and concept. The paper will have a new look from May, editor-in-chief Silvia Shaterova said at the BTA National Press Club in Burgas. The occasion was the launch of the November issue of LIK magazine, marking 180 years since the first Bulgarian newspaper, Bulgarski Orel, and the growth of the press in Bulgaria.

The ceremony in Plovdiv was held a few days ago, on the eve of National Revival Leaders' Day. The Burgas Society of Journalists and Correspondents put the paper forward for the award.

"Few people now, in the new conditions, give their paper a new dress, and we did," Shaterova said. She said it is an even bigger feat to change the design and concept of a regional paper than to run one, "because in today's conditions it is truly heroic to publish a regional newspaper".

The new concept is by graphic designer Yordan Gergov, who studied and worked in Vienna. The layout is easier to read, with more photos and shorter texts to suit the habits of today's readers. The typeface has changed too: the paper now uses the Bulgarian Cyrillic instead of the Russian one. Shaterova said the choice is not political and was made for convenience and better readability.

Every Friday the paper reaches the whole Burgas region, including Pomorie, Nessebar, Primorsko and Tsarevo. Two municipal supplements come with it, for Sozopol and for Aytos. The Aytos paper Naroden Priyatel turned 100 two years ago.

The editor-in-chief said distribution is a big challenge. Sales in shops and kiosks are hard to keep up, and the whole route from the press to the reader costs money, because the paper is also a business. The 2027 subscription campaign is already running. Readers can choose a paper subscription or an electronic one, where the paper arrives as a PDF. The newsroom counts on support from institutions, schools and readers.

Shaterova called the paper one of the emblems of Burgas and said few cities have such a title. She wants more people in Burgas to choose it.

Far was founded in 1920 as a weekly on trade, economy, farming and information. It was later called Naroden Far and Burgaski Far, and has had its present name for several decades. Chernomorski Far has a history of more than 100 years. Shaterova has been on the team since 1998 and has led it for almost ten years.

The newsroom runs media literacy lessons where pupils learn to check sources and spot fake news. Shaterova said children find the topic very interesting, because they want to know how to recognise fake news and how to deal with it. Pupils from the village of Marinka, whom she met in May, impressed her with how well informed and curious they were.

Since 2014 the paper has given an award for song lyrics in the Burgas and the Sea contest. It also runs the campaign "Old Newspapers for New Books". In early 2025 it gave the Petko Zadgorski Burgas Art Gallery 16 paintings by Burgas artists, from the 1960s to the early 2020s. The paper's management collected them before 2000. Some were gifts and others were bought.

Journalists are hard to find, the editor-in-chief said, because interest in working in print media is falling. The team goes on with its mission: a tradition of good writing and reliable information for Burgas and the region. Shaterova thanked BTA for its attention to the regional press.

The St Nicholas Day issue is due for 6 December, the holiday of Burgas. It has come out for about two decades, and its focus changes each year: the history of the city, old Burgas families, new generations, the neighbourhoods, children or the look of Burgas today.