The Association of Spanish-speaking Journalists in Bulgaria, in partnership with the Union of Bulgarian Journalists, held its Worlds and Colours journalistic publications competition for the fourth consecutive year. The award ceremony was attended by the ambassadors of Argentina and Cuba, the chargés d'affaires of the embassies of Spain and Venezuela and the honorary consul of Ecuador, as well as members of the Union of Bulgarian Journalists.

Seventeen journalists and programmes were nominated this year in different spheres and categories.

A Professional and Citizen Ethics award went to 12+3, a programme by the Bulgarian National Radio’s Horizont channel for a series of interviews on current social affairs in Bulgaria and the world.

A Worlds and Colours award was bestowed in Environment, Culture and Tradition to Our Day, a programme on the BNR’s Hristo Botev channel.

The Bridging Cultures award of the Association of Spanish-speaking Journalists was bestowed on Radio Bulgaria and individually to our former colleagues Maria Pachkova and Ventsislav Nikolov from Radio Bulgaria’s Spanish Service. The award is bestowed on individuals and institutions for their contribution to fostering relations among cultures and presenting Bulgaria to the world.

Here is what Maria Pachkova said at the award ceremony:

“It gives me much pleasure to see that my work has earned the appreciation of my colleagues. I spent most of my career as a translator at Radio Bulgaria’s Spanish service and it has taught me a great deal. We have had wonderful times together. I owe a great deal of my expertise to the long years I worked at the Spanish service."

Ventsislav Nikolov dedicated his award to Radio Bulgaria:

“There are colleagues at Radio Bulgaria I have worked side by side with for many years, it is to them I owe the inspiration in my work as a journalist and as a translator. I would like to dedicate this award to those pioneers of 50 years ago, when we were starting out on the road to the study of the Spanish language and culture. And I would like to wish our younger colleagues that in 50 years’ time, they will be able to say they have continued where we left off and have enriched the work we, the pioneers in the field have accomplished.”

English version: Milena Daynova