A total of 88 authors with 90 poetry books have submitted their works to participate in the tenth anniversary edition of the National Poetry Competition “Hristo Fotev”. The organizers have already announced the longlist of the nominated titles.

The competition, established in 2008 by Burgas Municipality in partnership with the Union of Bulgarian Writers, the Association of Bulgarian Writers, the “Burgas Writers' Community” Association, and the Ministry of Culture, is held every two years and is an established part of the cultural calendar of Burgas.

Over the years, laureates of the national award “Hristo Fotev” have been authors such as Toma Binchev, Rosen Drumev, Aksinia Mihailova, Ivan Suhivanov, Alexander Sekulov, Tsveta Delcheva, Plamen Doynov, and Ina Ivanova.

The winner of the award receives a cash prize, a diploma from Burgas Municipality, and a “Golden Pen” sculpture, provided by the Union of Bulgarian Writers.

The award ceremony will be held on March 25 - Hristo Fotev's birthday, in the Atrium of Burgas Free University.

Longlist (in alphabetical order)

  • Alexander Hristov – “No”, publ. “Skribens”
  • Bina Kals – “Litany”, publ. “Iztok-Zapad”
  • Vladimir Levchev – “Geography of Sleep”, publ. “7 Lucha”
  • Dimitar Kenarov – “The Plowed Gardens of Love”, publ. “Zhanet 45”
  • Ekaterina Grigorova – “From Above in the Stove Falls a Tree”, publ. “Zhanet 45”
  • Elena Yaneva – “Light in the Keyhole”, publ. “Biblioteka Bulgaria”
  • Kaloyan Ivanov – “Kicking in the Clouds”, publ. “Skribens”
  • Mario Savchev – “The Universe in Your Eyes”, publ. “Znatsi”
  • Olya Stoyanova – “How Natural Laws Save Us”, publ. “Zhanet 45”
  • Petar Chuhov – “At the End of the Bed”, publ. “Zhanet 45”

The competition is named after one of the most beloved Bulgarian poets – Hristo Fotev – and continues to establish Burgas as an important center of contemporary Bulgarian poetry.